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:^>^^5f^ 



CHINA 



THE LAND OF CONTRADICTIONS 



BY 



A. D. HALL 



AUTHOt or 

'VICTORIA, QUEEN AND EMPRESS,'* * * CUBA, " ** PORTO RICO/ 

** HAWAII," ETC. 




NEW YORK 
STREET & SMITH, Publishers 

238 William Street 






5 



CONTENTS. 



I. -The Flowery Empire. 

II.— Chinese History. . 

^11-— The Government of China. 

IV.— Manners and Customs. , 

v.— Trading In and With China. 

VI.— I^iterature, Science and Art. 

VII.— Religions and Superstitions. 

VIII.— Missionary Work in China. 

IX. — The Women of China^ 

X.— What the Chinese Eat. 

XI.— America in the Orient. 

XII.— The Boxers. 

• • • 

XIII.— The Empress Dowager. 
XIV.— What Will the Future Be.> 



7 

22 

38 
6o 

82 

99 
114 

143 
151 
t6o 
171 
184 
202 



CHINA. 



CHAPTER L 

THE FLOWERY EMPIRE. 

China, the fantastic, flowery empire, the land of topsy- 
turvydom, was until late years an unknown quantity 
to the outer ''barbarians,'' and even now, outside the 
seaports, much that is supposed to be known is purely a 
matter of conjecture. 

The beginning of an acquaintanceship between China 
and the Western world was only about fifty years ago, 
and for twenty years or more after, the acquaintanceship 
was very slight. Foreigners were allowed at only three 
or four seaports, and all travel into the interior was pro- 
hibited. 

It was not until the treaty of 1861 was signed at Tien- 
tsin that diplomatic representatives were allowed to re- 
side at the capital, and that foreigners of all classes were^ 
permitted to travel at their will through the empire. 

China has always been exclusive and has desired no ex- 
tension of her acquaintance in any direction. Moreover, 
there was, and is, an intense national conceit among the 
Chinese, and they regarded with contempt and abhor- 
rence all nations that had not had the benefit of their 
example. 

China claims to be the oldest nation in the worlds and 
with some semblance to truth. The Chinese themselves 



8 The Flowery Empire. 

assign a fabulously rare origin to their nation. The spa- 
cious seat of Eastern civilization which we call China has 
always loomed up so vast to Western eyes and has seemed 
so far away that at different times it has been called by 
different names, according as it was reached by the south- 
ern sea route or by the northern land route traversing the 
longitude of Asia. 

In the former aspect the name has nearly always been 
some form of the name Lin, Chin, Linae, China. In the 
latter point of view the region was known to the ancients 
as the land of the Seres^ to the Middle Ages as the 
Empire of Cathay. 

The word China is never used by the Chinese them- 
selves. It is not quite certain what the origin of the 
word is, but it may be assumed that it dates from the 
time about 250 B. C, when the family of Tsin rose to 
power. Their province was the one most frequently vis- 
ited by foreigners, and as it was called by the name of 
the reigning family, it is a plausible supposition that the 
word Tsin or Chin came to be used to denote the whole 
empire. 

The Chinaman has a long list of names for his coun- 
try, and even goes so far as to coin a new name for each 
new dynasty. 

Cathay is a Persian name for China. It is derived 
from Kitah or Kitan, who ruled the north of the em- 
pire in the tenth century A. D. It is interesting to note 
that the Russians still call China, Khitai. 

The term ''Chung Kwoh Jin/' meaning ''Men of the 
Middle Kingdom," is used frequently to denote the Chi- 
nese themselves. It was customary, however, to call the 
people after the name of the reigning dynasty. The title 
"Han-lin" and "Han-tse" ("Men of Han" or "Sons of 
Han") is used also to denote the Chinese themselves. 
The present Tsing dynasty has never been able to im- 



The Flowery Empire. 9 

pose its name upon the people, a sign of the enduring 
hatred of the nation for their Tartar conquerors. "Ta 
Tsing Kdoh," or ''Great Pure Kingdom/* is used of- 
ficially to designate the country, but is never hyphenated 
with the suffix ''jin" to denote the people. 

China, as the name is at present used, embraces within 
its boundaries the dependencies of Manchuria, Mongolia 
and Thibet, in addition to China Proper. 

This enormous empire extends from 18° 30' to 53° 25' 
north latitude and from 80° to 130° east longitude. It is 
bounded on the north by Asiatic Russia, along a frontier 
extending nearly 3,000 miles; on the east by those por- 
tions of the Pacific Ocean which are known in the north 
as the Sea of Japan, in the central portion as the Yellow 
Sea, and in the south as the China Sea; on the south 
and southwest by the China Sea, Cochin China and Bur- 
mah, and on the west by Kashmir and Eastern Turkestan, 
which province has within the last few years been 
wrested from China by the Ataligh Ghazee. 

The area of China proper is not more than one-half of 
the whole empire; it extends only as far north as 41° lat- 
itude, and as far west as 98° longitude. It is about 1,474 . 
miles in length, and its breadth is ajDout 1,355 miles. Its 
coast line measures about 2,500 miles; its land frontier 
is described as being 4,400 miles in length, and its area is 
said to contain 1,348,700 square miles. 

One of the most noticeable features in the surface of 
China is the immense delta plain in the northeastern por- 
tion of the empire, which, curving round the mountain- 
ous districts of Shan-tung, extends for about 700 miles 
in a southerly direction from Pekin, and varies from 150 
to 500 miles in breadth. The greater part of this vast 
plain descends very gently to the sea, and generally below 
the level of the Yellow River, and also to some extent of 
the Yang-tsze-Kiang, and it is chiefly remarkable for its 



lo The Flowery Empire, 

semi-angular shape, within which it encloses the moun- 
tain districts of the province of Shan-tung. Owing to 
the great quantity of soil which is brought down by the 
waters of the Yellow River, this delta is rapidly decreas- 
ing, and the adjoining seas are as rapidly becoming shal- 
lower. 

The rest of the empire may be described as being either 
mountainous or hilly, many of the summits attaining an 
elevation of 10,000 to 16,000 feet. 

The rivers of China are very numerous, and, with the 
canals, form some of the most frequented highways in 
the empire. The two largest are the Yang-tsze-Kiang 
and Hwang-ho, or Yellow River. The latter is less 
known to fame for its commercial value than for the vast 
and destructive floods which, from time to time, have 
caused it to inundate the low-lying countries on either 
side of its banks. But the river most beloved by the 
Chinese is the Yang-tsze-Kiang, or "son of ocean" — ^more 
correctly translated, ''the son that spreads." The basin 
drained by it is estimated to be 750,000 square miles. 
Unlike the Yellow River, along the navigable portion of 
the Yang-tsze-Kiang are dotted many rich and populous 
cities, among the chief being Nankin, Gan-king, Kew- 
keang, Han-kow and T-chang. Among other important 
rivers are the Peiho^ Min and Pearl. 

Next in importance to the Yang-tsze-kiang as a water- 
way is the Yun-ho, or, as it is known in English, the 
Grand Canal, This magnificent artificial river connects 
Tien-tsin with Hang-chow. Its total length is about 650 
miles. Miss Scidmore, who has recently been there, gives 
in her admirable "China, the Long-Lived Empire," the 
following picturesque description : 

"It was an ideal autumn morning as we trailed down 
the Grand Canal to Samen. The stone embankment, with 
its smooth granite curb, ran continuous for the six hun- 



The Flowery Empire. ii 

dred-odd miles of the Grand Canal. Three dynasties 
lavished their work along this imperial highway and 
river. China is pre-eminently the land of bridges, and 
this end of the Grand Canal once assembled such a col- 
lection of bridges, such a range of types and models as 
no other country of the w^orld could offer. Portions of 
those monumental carved gateways erected by imperial 
permission as memorials to some dutiful son or faithful 
widow are in such numbers now along the canal that they 
must once have stood along favored reaches like continu- 
ous rood screens in a cathedral. They are now battered 
and neglected, sagging, tottering, toppling into ruins, 
covered with moss and lichens, that kindly hid the rav- 
ages of their lace-work and filigree carvings.'' 

There are numerous lakes in the central provinces of 
China, the largest being Yung-ting Lake, in Hoo-nan, 
upwards of 266 miles in circumference. The Poyang 
Lake and the Tai Lake are also celebrated for their size 
and the beauty of their surroundings. 

The most famous among the minerals of China is jade, 
or the yu-stone, found chiefly in Yun-nan. Coal, lime- 
stone and porcelain clays are abundant. Precious stones 
are said to be met with in some districts. In Yun-nan 
gold is washed from the sands of the rivers, and in the 
same province silver mines are worked ; here, too, is ob- 
tained the celebrated pre-tung, or white copper. All the 
commoner metals are likewise found in China. Near the 
city of Ning-po are extensive stone quarries. 

A remarkable feature of the physical geography of 
China is the existence in the northern portion of the em- 
pire of a large region of loess. Loess is a solid but friable 
earth of a brownish yellow color. The loess is invalu- 
able to the inhabitants of the north of China. In its per- 
pendicular cliffs which are removed from the action of 
running water are dug out innumerable caves, in which 



^2 The Flowery Empire. 

a large majority of the people live, while its surface 
yields abundant crops, requiring no application of manure 
and but slight expenditure of labor. 

China claims a greater variety of rare fruits and flow- 
ers than any other country in the world. Of course, but 
comparatively few can be mentioned here. The tea-plant 
IS naturally the most important vegetable production of 
Chma. The tallow tree, the varnish tree, the camphor 
tree, the Chmese pine, the Chinese banyan, the funereal 
cypress and the mulberry rank among the most important 
trees of China. Of the bamboo there are sixty-three prin- 
cipal varieties, and the various uses to which it is applied 
IS really astonishing. Fruits, both of the tropical and 
temperate zones, abound in China. 

China proper is divided into eighteen provinces The 
metropolitan province is Chih-li, in which is situated 
i^ekm, the capital of the empire. It contains eleven pre- 
fectural cities and occupies an area of 58,949 miles The 
population of the last census was 28,000,000 inhabitants 
The extremes of heat and cold in Chih-li are very great 
as can be seen from a record taken bv a self-registering 
thermometer (Fahrenheit) : 

Mak. Min. 
J?""^'-y 38 0.8 

f,^b™^'-y 46 1.5 

^""'9^ 68 18.0 

^f:^ 87 35.0 

T y 94 410 

• X ' ••••107 53.0 

•'"'-^ ••• =••.....108 61.0 

^"§^st 100 . 60.5 

September 92 40.0 

October -,-r Z^o 

November 42 1 7 e 

December .' .' .' 50 ^'^ 

China furnishes the principal supply of tea for the 



The Flowery Empire. 13 

world, Japan and Assam being the only other countries 
where its production is at all important. The other chief 
exports of China are silk, straw goods and porcelain. 

Ethnologically, the Chinese belong to that variety of the 
human species distinguished by a Mongolian conforma- 
tion of the head and face. A tawny or parchment-colored 
skin, black hair, lank and coarse ; a thin beard, oblique eyes 
and high cheek bones are the principal characteristics of 
the race. The average height of the Chinaman is about 
equal to that of the European, though his muscular power 
is not so great; the women are disproportionately small, 
and have a broad upper face, low nose and linear eyes. 

Of the animals of China, very little is really known. 
Of the monkey tribe, the most remarkable is the Cochin 
monkey. A few of the more ferocious of the carniverous 
animals still linger in the jungles, but are unknown in the 
cultivated districts. Wildcats are common in the forests 
of the south and bears are still found in the hills of Shan- 
se. The musk deer^ the moose deer and a few other speci- 
mens of deer can be found. 

The gold and silver pheasant, the argus pheasant and 
other gallinaceous birds hold a prominent place in the or- 
nithology of China. There are also fly-catchers, thrushes, 
grackles and goat suckers, as well as several species of 
crows, magpies and jays. On the lakes and rivers are 
various kinds of waterfowl. 

China is famous for its fish, and, in fact, in this respect 
is said to be the richest country in the world. 

Something should certainly be said now of that world- 
famous structure, the Great Wall, called by the Chinese 
Wan-li-chang, "myriad-miled wall." This was built by 
the first emperor of the Tsin dynasty, about 220 B. C, 
as a protection against the Tartar tribes. It traverses 
the northern part of China, extending 35^° east to 15° 
west of Pekin. The length of this great wall is about 



14 The Flowery Empire. 

twelve hundred miles. Including a parapet of five feet, 
the total height of the wall is twenty feet ; thickness of the 
base twenty-five feet, and at the top fifteen feet. Towers 
or bastions occur at intervals of about lOO yards. These 
are forty feet square at the base and thirty feet at the 
summit, which is thirty-seven feet and in some instances 
forty-eight or fifty feet from the ground. Earth enclosed 
in brick- work forms the mass of the wall ; but for more 
than half its length it is little more than a heap of gravel 
or rubbish. 

Taken altogether the Great Wall is really the world's 
greatest wonder. Many and many a time has it defended 
China proper from the invading wild hordes of Manchuria 
and Mongolia. 

It is picturesque in the extreme and as impressive and 
imagination-rousing as the ruins of Rome and Athens, 
but the Great Wall is still serviceable. 

At Chatao, the wall is in very good condition, and it is 
not difficult for the imagination to repeople it with the 
defenders against the savage hordes below. 

Of this great example of defensive warfare. General 
Wilson said that though ''laid out in total defiance of the 
rules of military engineering, yet the walls are so solid 
and inaccessible, and the gates so well arranged and de- 
fended, that it would puzzle a modern army with a first- 
class siege train to get through it, if any eflfort whatever 
were made for its defense.'' 

A short description of some of the principal cities of 
China does not seem to be out of place here. To begin 
with the capital. For the last nine centuries Pekin, under 
different names and under the domination of successive 
dynasties has, with some short intervals, remained an 
imperial city. 

The modern city consists of two parts, the nui ch'ing, or 
"inner city,'' commonly known to foreigners as the 



Tlie Flowery Empire. 15 

"Tartar city," and the wai ch'ing or ''outer city," known 
in the same way as the ''Chinese city." 

UnUke the walls of most Chinese cities, the walls of 
Pekin are kept in perfect repair. 

The population of Pekin is reckoned to be about 1,000,- 
000, a number which is out of all proportion to the im- 
mense area inclosed within the walls. This disparity is 
partly accounted for by the fact that large spaces, notably 
in the Chinese city, are not burlt over, and that the 
grounds surrounding the imperial palace, private resi- 
dences and temples ar^e very extensive. 

Americans, of course, are particularly interested in the 
legations, and we therefore give information furnished by 
the Rev. Isaac T. Headland, professor of mental and 
moral philosophy in the Methodist University at Pekin: 

"Nearly all the legations," said Mr. Headland, "except 
the British, are in Legation street and not far from one 
another. The legation compounds, as they are called, 
comprise anywhere from one to three or four acres of 
land, enclosed by high walls. Within the enclosures are 
the legation buildings, including the official residences, 
office buildings and quarters for the servants. All the 
buildings in each compound are of brick, and roofed with 
tile or sheet iron. This leads me to doubt that all the 
legation buildings have been burned. One building, or 
even two, in a legation compound might be fired, but it 
would be extremely difficult to fire all the buildings in one 
compound alone, to say nothing of burning all the 
legations. 

"The mission buildings are in compounds like the 
buildings of the legations. The mission compounds are 
scattered all over the city, most of them at a considerable 
distance from the legations, some of them as far as tw^o 
miles, so it doesn't of necessity follow that, because the 
legations are burned, if they are, that the buildings in the 



1 6 The Flowery Empire. 

mission compounds have been injured or the missionaries 
attacked. Furthermore, all the missionaries have now 
taken up their residence in the Methodist compound, 
which is at the head of Legation street. The compound is 
surrounded by a wall about ten feet high and is fairly 
well adapted for defense. 

''The nearest legation to our compound is the Italian, 
which is, perhaps, three hundreds yards away. The Ger- 
man legation is farther down on the south side of the 
street The American legation is nearer the German lega- 
tion, but on the opposite side of the street. Our execu- 
tive building is one of the few fine modern buildings in 
Pekin, and our compound covers about two acres. There 
is a fire department in Pekin — not a very good one, to 
be sure — but still of enough account to cope with a good- 
sized fire if not interfered with," 

Shanghai stands on the left or western bank of the 
Wang-per River, about twelve miles from the point where 
that river empties itself into the estuary of the Yang-tsze- 
Kiang. The walls which surround it are about three and 
one-half miles in circumference and are pierced by seven 
gates. 

In 1842, when the Nankin treaty was signed, Shanghai 
was included among the four new ports thrown open to 
commerce. 

The trade of the port has steadily advanced. The gov- 
ernment of the city is practically in the hands of foreign- 
ers, as these form the major and controlling portion of 
the population. The foreign trade is carried on (greatly 
in the order named) by British, Americans, Japanese, 
Germans, French, Russians and Danish. 

The confusion into which the customs system was 
thrown by the occupation of the rebels in 1855 led the 
Chinese officials to request the consuls of Great Britain, 
the United States and France to nominate three officers 



The Flowery Empire. 17 

to superintend the collection of revenue. This plan was 
found to work so well that it was made permanent. Mr. 
H. N. Lay, of the British consular service, was appointed 
inspector of the Shanghai customs. His administration 
proved so satisfactory that in 1858 the Chinese gladly 
assented to the application of the same system to all the 
treaty ports. On the retirement of Mr. Lay, Sir Robert 
Hart was appointed to the post, and splendidly has he 
filled it. 

Canton is a large and populous commercial city, sit- 
uated on the eastern bank of the Peari River, in the pro- 
vince of Kwang-tu. The part of Canton inclosed by walls 
is about six miles in circumference, and has a partition 
wall running east and west and dividing the city into two 
unequal parts. The northern and large division is called 
the old, and the southern the new city. The foreign trade 
of Canton was materially damaged by the opening of 
Shanghai and other ports, but it is still of considerable 
value. 

There are two cities in which the worid is particulariy 
interested on account of the Boxer outbreak, and these 
are Chee-foo and Tien-tsin. They both deserve especial 
mention on this account. 

Che-foo, previously to the outbreak, was noted chiefly 
as being a part demanded by and granted to the English 
government as an offset to the advantage gained by 
Russia in her occupancy of Port Arthur. Some two 
thousand English soldiers were stationed there, and there 
were generally two or three war ships in the harbor. 
Che-foo was a favorite resort for Shanghai people. The 
climate and sea-bathing were both good. 

A long beach lies to the left of the bluff and on this are 
built some large hotels. There are also boarding-schools 
for giris and boys, the children of missionaries in the 
East. 



l8 The Flowery Empire. 

This part of Che-foo is very beautiful, but unfortunately 
the native city is quite the reverse, in fact a very Hades 
from the western point of view. No foreigner lingers 
long there. The smells are a thousand times worse than 
the traditional ones of Cologne. 

The city of Tien-tsin is the most important commercial 
city in North China. The English and French have ex- 
tensive connections. 

A correspondent of the New York Sun thus describes 
his arrival in the city : 

"Tien-tsin is reached after about an hour and a half in 
the train, and the visitor is likely to be astounded at the 
foreign portion of it. 

''In the foreign settlement, however, there are beautiful 
houses and lovely streets, well paved and lined with shade 
trees. The buildings are massive and stately, of good 
architecture, and the result is finer in eflfect than any of 
the treaty ports of Japan. In fact, one would think that 
with such an object lesson before them in the shape of 
line buildings, space and clean streets, well lighted, and 
law and order everywhere, the Chinese would make some 
eiTort to change for the better their own municipal affairs. 
But the inertia of Chinese customs, of Chinese methods 
of living and gaining a livelihood, is so great, and the 
desire for change confined to so few, that any radical 
change of the Chinese in China seems almost hopeless. 

''The native part of Tien-tsin, however, is an improve- 
ment on Che-foo, nor is it so dirty as Pekin. It is com- 
posed of a labyrinth of narrow streets, crowded with the 
jostling, noisy Chinese populace. The great compound 
which incloses the many houses composing the residence 
of Li Hung Chang is plainly seen on one of the banks.'' 

There are a good many fine buildings and warehouses 
in Tien-tsin. The most interesting thing to an American, 
however, would probably be a new woolen mill. In every 



The Flowery Empire. 19 

respect this is thoroughly American. The machinery all 
came from the United States, and the manager is a Phila- 
delphian. The looms and all the machinery are run by 
electric moters, the electricity being generated by a West- 
inghouse dynamo, run by a hundred horse power Harris- 
burg high-speed engine. 

Most of the employees are, naturally, Chinese. The mill 
is owned by the Chinese government. And it is a source 
of pride to every American visitor to see here an up-to- 
date American woolen mill in successful operation. 

There are very few American goods in the stores of 
Tien-tsin, and these consist almost entirely of canned 
fruits from California, canned meats from Chicago and 
beer from Milwaukee. 

Wool cleaning and skin packing are among the prin- 
cipal industries of Tien-tsin. Much wool is exported to. 
America. It is of cheaper quality than American wool, 
and is used in making cheap carpets. 

One firm employs two thousand men and boys in the 
bristle industry. Hog's bristles are cleaned, sorted and 
sent to Boston for brushes. 

Tien-tsin has improved yearly, and when the present 
troubles are over and the railroads are in perfect opera- 
tion, it will doubtless become an important distributing 
point. 

Let us take now a brief look at what explorers have 
done, notwithstanding the greatness of the obstacles that 
have always existed to travel in China. 

Still, since the early part of the century many scientific 
explorers have traversed the length and breadth of the 
country. It is curious, also, to observe how tlie national- 
ities of the explorers and the parts of the country they 
passed through seem to be in consonance with the aims 
now attributed to the various powers who are manifesting 
particular interest in Chinese affairs. 



20 The Flowery Empire. 

For instance, Southern China has been the special 
field for British explorers, while Russians have affected 
the north and northwestern provinces, and the Germans 
have paid special attention to the northeastern parts of 
the country. 

So far back as 1816 English explorers began their 
work in Southern China, for Amherst made a journey 
then along the banks of the Pekiang. It was not, how- 
ever, until the second part of this century, in the sixties, 
that a systematic exploration of that part of China was 
undertaken. During those ten years the southwestern 
and southern provinces were regularly quartered out by 
English explorers, among whom were Oxenham, Dick- 
son, Zarnier, Bickmore and Cooper. 

In the seventies and the following decades, the ex- 
ploration of China was developed on a large scale and 
became international in character, a sort of foreshadow- 
ing of events that have since begun to materialize. In 
the seventies, English curiosity spread to the valley of the 
Yang-tsze-Kiang. Barker, Gill, McCarthy, Moss and 
others penetrated into some of the most exclusive pro- 
vinces and made valuable commercial and military obser- 
vations. At the same time, the Russian, Pezjavlsky, made 
his first journey into northern Thibet and Kassuh. The 
northern provinces were also traversed by Protsof, 
Sczech, Fritsche, a German, and others. Elias, who was 
thought to be traveling in the interests of the British gov- 
ernment, made a journey through Mongolia and Shansi 
in 1872. 

In the eighties there was even greater activity. Pez- 
javlsky, Potanin and others continued their work in the 
northwestern provinces and into the province of Chih-li, 
in which Pekin is situated. The British were no less 
active in the south. Bourne, Ford, Parker and others 
went through the provinces of the Yang-tsze-Kiang, col- 



The Flowery Empire. 21 

lecting data of a political and military nature, while Arch- 
ibald Little was making observations of great cornmercial 
value. 

In the early and middle part of the nineties, the explor- 
ing fever was intensified. In the north of China and 
Mongolia, Russian and German military and scientific 
men made minute and exhaustive studies of the topog- 
raphy and mineral resources of the country. The English 
explorations of the Upper Yang-tsze provinces also pro- 
ceeded with activity, and the French paid considerable 
attention to Yun-nan and Lechuen in view of their in- 
tention to make Yun-nan-fu the capital of the province. 
They also had explorations made elsewhere in the 
vicinity. 

It will be seen, therefore, that the governments more 
particularly interested in China have taken care to be fully 
and accurately informed as to the character and resources 
of those provinces in which they were more immediately 
concerned. 

This information will undoubtedly play a great part in 
the shaping of future events. 



CHAPTER II. 

CHINESE HISTORY. 

It is an ancient belief of Chinese writers that there ex- 
isted a period of 2,267,000 and odd years between the time 
when the power of Heaven and Earth combined to pro- 
duce man as the possessor of the soil of China, and the 
time of Confucius. 

It became necessar>^ for the early historians to invent 
long lines of dynastic rulers to fill up the gap between the 
creation and the period with which the ''Book of History'' 
commences. Accordingly we find a series of ten epochs 
designated as preceding the Chow dynasty. The events 
connected with most of these are purely fabulous, and it is 
not until we come down to the eighth period that we can 
trace any glimmer, however obscured, of history. 

Among the semi-mythical kings, the most famous was 
Fu-hi, who is said to have lived 115 years, to have sep- 
arated the people into classes or tribes, giving each a par- 
ticular name, discovered iron, appointed certain days to 
show their gratitude to heaven by oflfering the first fruits 
of the earth, and invented the eight diagrams of the Yih- 
king. 

To relate the entire history of China would take a large 
volume and would, moreover, prove a bore, so we shall 
limit ourselves to the events which are likely to prove of 
interest to the average reader. 

From the era of Confucius, sixth century B. C, dates 
become more trustworthy. This was during the reign of 
Leing-wang. China at that time was apparently divided 
into a number of independent states. 



Chinese History. ^3 

But the kings of Tsin gradually gained the ascendancy, 
and at last one of them reduced the other states to sub- 
jection (247 B. C), and assumed the title of Hoang, or 
Emperor. 

To the Tsin dynasty succeeded the Han dynasty, when 
the empire was consolidated. Then followed a brilHant 
period, especially in literature, interrupted by Tartar at- 
tacks. 

We cannot enumerate the various dynasties nor the fre- 
quent divisions and reunions of the empire, varied by in- 
cursions and partial subjugations by the troublesome 
Tartars. 

The Mongols began to acquire power in Eastern Asia, 
and about the beginning of the twelfth century they in- 
vaded the northwestern border of China and the prin- 
cipality of Hea. To purchase the good will of these sub- 
jects of Jenghiz Khan, the ruler of Hea agreed to pay him 
a tribute and gave a princess in marriage to their ruler. 
Hitherto the Mongols had been vassals of the Kin Tartars, 
but the rapid growth of their power indisposed them to 
remain tributaries of any monarch, and in consequence of 
a dispute with the Emperor Wai-chaou Wang, Jenghiz 
Khan captured the capital city, after an unsuccessful in- 
vasion of China in 12 12. Jenghiz Khan renewed the at- 
tack in the following year, and completely defeated the 
Kins, other victories following. 

At the age of sixty-six the great General Jenghiz Khan 
died, his armies having triumphed over the whole of Cen- 
tral Asia, from the Caspian Sea and the Indus to Korea 
and the Yang-tsze-Kiang. 

At last the Mongols, or Western Tartars, became mas- 
ters of the whole country in 1279 ^^^ reigned over it 
until 1368, when they were repelled by the Chinese. 

They were succeeded by the Ming native dynasty, 



24 Chinese History. 

which lasted 276 years, and fell at last by its own mis- 
government. 

A general of the last Ming Emperor, who was employed 
in keeping the Mantchus in check, made peace with them 
and obtained their assistance against the native usurper 
who had deposed his sovereign. The Mantchus estab- 
lished themselves in Pekin in 1644, and after a seven 
years' struggle acquired the sovereignty of the whole em- 
pire. Many of the conquering race now filled the highest 
offices of state, and held their position from birth alone. 

The empire attained a western extension during the 
eighteenth century. 

During the reign of Keen-lung, which ended in 1798, 
after a reign of sixty years, the relations of the East India 
Company with the government had been reverse of satis- 
factory. All kinds of unjust exactions were demanded 
from the merchants, and many acts of gross injustice were 
committed on the persons of Englishmen. So notorious 
at length did these matters become that the British gov- 
ernment 'determined to send an embassy to the court of 
Pekin, and Lord Macartney was selected to represent 
George III. on the occasion. On arriving at Jehol, where 
the court then was, Lord Macartney was received most 
graciously by the Emperor, and subsequently at Yuen- 
ming-yuen he was admitted into the imperial presence and 
was treated with every courtesy. But the concessions he 
sought for his countrymen were not accorded to him, and 
in this sense, but in this sense only, his mission was a 
failure. 

Taou-Kuang succeeded in 1820. 

Possessed in his early years of considerable energy, 
Taou-Kuang no sooner ascended the throne than he 
turned his powers, which should have been directed to the 
pacification of his empire, to the pursuit of pleasure a^'^^I 
amusement. The reforms which his subjects had been led 



Chinese History. 25 

by his first manifestoes to believe would be introduced 
never seriously occupied his attention, a^d the discontent 
which had been lulled by hope soon became intensified by 
despair. 

The hardships inflicted on the English merchants at 
Canton became so unbearable that when, in 1834, the 
monopoly of the East India Company ceased, the English 
government determined to send out a messenger to super- 
intend the foreign trade at that port. 

Lord Napier was selected for the office; but so vexa- 
tious was the conduct of the Chinese authorities, and sq 
inadequately was he supported that the anxieties of his 
position brought on an attack of fever from which he died 
at Macas, after but a few months' residence in China. 

The chief cause of complaint adduced by the man- 
darins was the introduction of opium by the merchants, 
and for years they attempted by every means in their 
power, by stopping all foreign trade, by demands for the 
prohibition of the traffic in the foreign drug, and by vigi- 
lant protective measures, to put a stop to its importation. 

At length Captain Elliot, the superintendent of trade, in 
1839, agreed that all the opium in the hands of English- 
men should be given up to the native authorities, and he 
exacted a pledge from the merchants that they would no 
longer deal in the drug. On the 3d of April, 20,283 cases 
of opium were handed over to the mandarins, and were by 
them destroyed, a sufficient proof that they were in earnest 
in their endeavors to suppress the traffic. This demand 
of Commissioner Lin was considered by the English gov- 
ernment to amount to a casus belli, and in 1840 war was 
declared, a war afterward known as the "opium war." 

In the same year the British fleet captured Chusan, and 
in the following year the Bogue forts fell, in consequence 
of which operations the Chinese agreed to cede Honp-- 



26 Chinese History. 

kong to the victors and to pay them an indemnity of 
$6,000,000. 

As soon as the news reached Pekin, Ke Shen, who had 
succeeded Commissioner Lin, was dismissed from his post, 
and Yah- Shan, another Tartar, was appointed to his place. 
But before the new commissioner reached his post. Canton 
had fallen into the hands of Sir Hugh Cough, and shortly 
afterward Amoy, Ningpo, Tinghai, Chapoo, Shanghai and 
Chin-keang Foo shared the same fate, and a like evil 
would have happened to Nankin had not the Imperial 
Government, dreading the loss of the "Southern Capital,*' 
pro'posed terms of peace. 

After much discussion, Sir Henry Pottinger, who had 
succeeded Captain Elliot, concluded in 1842 a treaty with 
the imperial commissioners, by which the four additional 
ports of Amoy, Fuh-chow-Foo, Ningpo and .Shanghai 
were declared open to foreign trade, and an indemnity of 
$20,000,000 was to be paid to the English. 

Treaty ports were opened to the United States and 
France in 1844. 

In 1850 the famous Tae-ping rebellion broke out. 
Their leader was Hung-sew-tsuen, a man of humble origin 
and an unsuccessful candidate for official employ. He 
persuaded his followers that he had a divine mission to 
uproot idolatry, to overturn the Mantchu dynasty and set 
up a purely national dynasty to be called the ''Great Peace 
Dynasty." The disaffection was widespread, and for sev- 
eral years it appeared as if the leader had nailed the flag 
of victory to his mast, and the rebellion would probably 
have succeeded, the Mantchu dynasty been dethroned and 
a new state of affairs been produced had not Europe lent 
the Mantchus a capable general, who saved the imperial 
house. 

This general was Charles George Gordon, who in 1863 
took command of a Chinese force against the Tae-pingi 



Chinese History. 27 

rebels, and at the head of what was known as thh "ever- 
victorious army," put down the rebellion in thirty-three 
engagements. He resigned his command in 1864, receiv- 
ing from the emperor the yellow jacket and peacock 
feathers as mandarin of the first-class. From then until 
his most to be regretted death he was always known as 
'^Chinese Gordon/' 

An account of the belief professed by the Tae-ping 
rebels will be found in the chapter entitled "Religions and 
Superstitions." 

Before this, however, as if to add to the complications 
of the Chinese, another war broke out with Great Britain, 
which had France as an ally. 

England declared war in 1857 against the Tartar dynas- 
ty, in consequence of an outrage known as the "Arrow** 
affair. 

In December of the same year Canton was taken by an 
English force under Sir Michael Seymour and General 
Straubenzee,'and a still further 1)low w^as struck against 
the prestige of the ruling government by the detemiina- 
tion arrived at by Lord Elgin, who had been sent out as 
special ambassador to go to Pekin and communicate di- 
rectly with the emperor. 

In May, 1858, the Taku forts were taken, and the way 
having thus been cleared of obstacles. Lord Elgin went up 
the Peiho to Tien-tsin en route for the capital. At Tien- 
tsin, however, he was met by the imperial commissioners, 
who persuaded him so far to alter his plans as to conclude 
a treaty with them on the spot, which treaty ft was agreed 
should be ratified at Pekin in the following year. When, 
however, Sir Frederick Bruce, who had been in the mean- 
while appointed minister to the court of Pekin, attempted 
to pass Taku to carry out this part of the arrangement, 
the vessels escorting him were fired on from the forts 
with such precision and persistency that he was compelled 



28 Chinese History. 

to return to Shanghai to await the arrival of a larger force 
than that which he had at his command. As soon as 
news of this defeat reached England, Lord Elgin was 
again sent out with full powers, and accompanied by a 
large force under the command of Sir Hoi>e Grant. 

The French, likewise, took part in the campaign, and on 
August I, i860, the allies landed without meeting with 
any opposition at Peh-tang, a village twelve miles north 
of Taku. A few days later the forts at that place, which 
had bid defiance to Sir Frederick Bruce twelve months 
previously, were taken, and from thence the allies marched 
to Pekin. Finding further resistance to be hopeless, the 
Chinese opened negotiations, and, as a guarantee of their 
good faith, surrendered the An-ting gate of the capital 
to the allies. On the 24th of October the treaty of 1858 
was ratified by Prince King and Lord Elgin, and a con- 
vention was signed, under the terms of which the Chinese 
agreed to pay a war indemnity of 8,000,000 taels. It also 
stipulated that the Queen of Great Britain may appoint 
diplomatic agents to the court of Pekin, who shall be al- 
lowed to reside at the capital, where also Her Majesty may 
acquire a building site. The Christian religion shall be 
protected by the Chinese authorities. British subjects 
shall be allowed to travel for business or pleasure to all 
parts of the interior, under passports issued by their con- 
sul. British merchant ships shall trade upon the Great 
River (Yang-tsze-Kiang). 

The Emperor Heen-fung did not live long to see the 
results of the new relations with the hated foreigners, 
but died in the summer of the following year, leaving 
the throne to his son, Tung-she, a child five years old. 

There is an anecdote worth repeating that is told of this 
war in connection with British and American tars. 

''Blood IS thicker than water," said Captain John Tat- 
nall, of the U. S. S- Powhatan, as he went to the assist- 



Chinese History. 29 

ance of British seamen in Admiral Hope's fleet in 1859. 
The action will be remembered as long as the Stars and 
Stripes float in the New World and the Union Jack in the 
Old. Captain TatnalFs help saved the English navy from 
a disaster which promised to be one of the most appalling 
in the history of sea fights. His only excuse for inter- 
fering in a battle which was strictly an affair with which 
America was not concerned was the bluff remark: 
''Blood's thicker than water, and Fll be damned if I can 
stand by and see white men butchered before my eyes.'' 

It was June 4, 1859, and an allied fleet of British and 
French war vessels, under Admiral Hope of the English 
Navy, were endeavoring to force a treaty from China. * 

The Taku forts then, as now, guarded the entrance to 
the Peiho, which flows past the gates of Tien-tsin and on 
to Pekin. Formidable fortifications had been erected on 
the banks and heavy barriers across the river itself. 

On the night of June 20, 1859, the English and French 
allies arrived off the mouth of the Peiho. On the outside 
the visit was friendly, although there is no doubt that 
trouble was expected. The Chinese preferred not to ne- 
gotiate a treaty. 

Along with the allied fleet was the steamer Toeywan 
and the U. S. S. Powhatan, commanded by Captain Tat- 
nalL The warship Powhatan was too bulky to cross the 
mouth of the river, and Captain Tatnall chartered the 
steamer Toeywan and transferred his flag to that. The 
only purpose of the American boat was to convey Min- 
ister John E. Ward and suite, who were to see that the 
treaty about to be negotiated between England, France 
and China was fair to the United States. 

As soon as the fleet arrived, Admiral Hope sent a boat 
ashore with the request that the commander of the fort 
remove the barriers. He had come on a friendly mission, 
he explained. The officer with the message was not per- 



30 Chinese History. 

mitted to land, and was curtly informed that the barriers 
were up to stand. Hope then sent word to the Chinese 
commandant : "I give you until the 24th to remove the 
obstructions and allow my ships to pass. If they are not 
down by that time, I shall take them down myself." 

Captain Tatnall and Mr. Ward, the American minis- 
ter, held a consultation, and decided to move up the river 
with the Toeywan, as if they had received no inkling that 
the Chinese had refused the English and French to enter 
the Peiho. If the forts fired across his bow, the captain 
would anchor and hold a conference with the authorities. 
If they put a shot into the vessel, he w^ould retire. 

At II o'clock on the morning of June 20, 1859, the 
Toeyzvan pushed through the English and French squad- 
ron and steamed toward the barriers. Before she reached 
the iirst line of defense she was suddenly grounded on the 
treacherous bank of the river, receiving a tremendous jar 
and sitting down solidly on the sticky bottom of the 
stream. Admiral Hope sent the Plover, a gunboat, to the 
aid of the Toeywan, but, in attempting to tow the larger 
boat off, the cable parted. 

A second gunboat was dispatched, and meanwhile Ad- 
miral Hope sent Lieutenant Trenchard of his staff to say 
to the officers of the fort that the American minister v^as 
aboard the stranded steamer. Lieutenant Trenchard and 
some missionaries as interpreters delivered this message. 
Twenty ragged-looking Chinese, armed with spears and 
long knives, came down, headed by a mandarin, to hold 
a parley. They said again that the barriers were there 
for the protection of the empire and yould not be re- 
moved. Any attempt to take them up would be resisted, 
and the forts would open fire, 

Trenchard returned to the Toeyzvan w^ith his answer, 
and by that time the little steamer had been extricated and 
took up a position near the outer bar. Admiral Hope de- 



Chinese History. 31 

termined to remove the barriers in the river by force. 
The only uneasiness in the squadron was caused by the 
fear that the Russian troops were in the vicinity and 
would assist the Chinese against the alHed fleet. 

On the night of June 24 three gunboats were sent up 
the river, and they succeeded in forcing a passage through 
the barrier of stakes and through the second obstruction 
, of iron cables. Captain Willes, who commanded the gun- 
boats, believed that these boats could not remove the rafts, 
and Admiral Hope decided to take the fleet up through the 
passage made by the gunboats. 

By 3.30 on the morning of the 25th all hands on the 
allied squadron were whistled to breakfast, and by 4 
o'clock the gunboats were in position. The flood tide was 
running strong, and Admiral Hope believed that he might 
get his fleet in position while the water in the shallow 
mouth of the Peiho was at its height. 

In and around the forts a perfect calm was maintained. 

Some delay occurred, due to the grounding of the gun- 
boats and the narrowness of the channel, and it was not 
until 11.30 in the morning, at high tide, that the vessels 
were in position. . 

Finally at 2 o'clock Admiral Hope, with his flag on the 
gunboat Plover, signaled the Opossum to remove the iron 
pile to which she had been fastened. In half an hour the 
obstruction had been wrenched loose, the way cleared, and 
the whole fleet steamed triumphantly past the first barrier. 
They were then squarely under the guns of the fort, in 
point blank range of the grand battery. 

The Plover, full steam on, attempted to break through 
the second barrier, when a shot was discharged from the 
forts. In a moment all the mantelets masking the bat- 
teries fell, and forty pieces of artillery ,opened on the little 
craft. 

^'Engage the enemy as closely as possible," signaled the 



32 Chinese Histoty. 

Admiral, who was taken entirely by surprise. The gun- 
boats crowded up to the support of the flagship, but they 
were hopelessly at the mercy of the big Chinese battery. 
Within twenty minutes the Plover and Opossum had so 
many men killed and wounded that their guns were prac- 
tically disabled. . 

Sev^al of the officers were killed, and Admiral Hope 
was seriously injured in the thigh. The Chinese had 
plenty of reserve guns and ammunition. When a gun was 
dismantled by a shot from the fleet, in a few minutes a 
second gun had been run up in place, and began firing 
away from the same embrasure. 

Captain Tatnall and the Americans on the Toeyzmn 
observed the desperate straits of the British Admiral. 
Finally Tatnall exclaimed : 

''Blood's thicker than water, and Fll be damned if FU 
stand by and see those men butchered before my eyes. 
No, sir, old Tatnall isn't that kind, sir. Is that boat ready ? 
Tell the men we won't need side arms." 

He sent to Colonel Lemon, offering the services of the 
Toeyzvan in towing back the gunboats, knowing that it 
would be impossible for the rest of the allied fleet to 
make head against the ebb tide and go to the relief of 
their brothers. 

Just at that moment a little boat shot out from the 
smoke of battle and came alongside the American steamer. 
A midshipman quickly handed to Captain Tatnall a note, 
smeared with blood and covered with powder stains. 
When the American commander read it he became greatly 
excited, and announced his intention of paying at once 
an official visit to the English Admiral. 

Over the harbor, in the golden sunshine of a day in the 
Orient, went a little American barge toward the black 
smoke that hung over the river's mouth. Close in her 
wake followed the British dispatch boat, and in a few min- 



Chinese History. 33 

utes both disappeared in the darkness of the fight. As 
the American barge swung through the alHed. fleet, cheer 
after cheer went up from the crews. A shot passed 
through the American colors at the mast and left them a 
bunch of flying shreds. The men on board the deck of a 
disabled gunboat caught sight of this remnant of stars 
and stripes and yelled lustily. A second shot killed Cox- 
swain Hart and wounded Lieutenant Trenchard. A third 
knocked the barge almost to splinters, and with difficulty 
she was kept afloat until she reached the side of the British 
flagship. 

Aboard the Plover, Captain Tatnall found Admiral 
Hope desperately wounded, but still directing the fight. 
The boat's crew of the American barge promptly went 
forward and manned the British guns. Nearly every 
English gunner had been killed or wounded. A boy of 
twelve or thirteen years brought the powder from the 
hold, and for an hour the Americans kept up a rattling 
fire. At that time a boatload of men from another ship 
reached the Plover and relieved them. 

*'What have you been doing?'' asked Lieutenant Tren- 
chard, who sat on deck nursing a desperate wound. The 
faces of the American tars were covered with sweat and 
powder. 

''Oh, nothin\ sir," said one, "except sort of lending a 
helping hand to those fellows forward." 

The Americans then boarded a little boat and returned 
to the Toeyzvan in safety. But by this time the position 
of the British on the gunboats was becoming more des- 
perate than before. A little distance away lay 600 reserves 
which they had no means of bringing into the battle. 

Tatnall grasped the situation^ took the junks in tow and 
brought them into action. 

A landing party was placed on shore and stormed the 
forts. The British rushed madly down the ditch, filled 



34 Chinese History. 

with water and rendered almost impassable by sharp 
stakes. They drew their ladders across the second ditch, 
and the sailors continued to advance in spite of a terrible 
fire. Some of them were beginning to climb the breast- 
works, when suddenly there arose the cry, ''Russians!" 

The English supposed they had been fighting Chinese, 
but now they believed the fortifications were manned by 
Russians. This thoroughly discouraged the British, and, 
in spite of the efforts of their officers, they retired to the 
trench. 

It was a frightful moment, and here again Tatnall won 
the lasting gratitude of the English. He got his light- 
draught Toeyzvan close inshore and took the fugitives 
aboard, thus saving many lives. In this disastrous affair 
the allied forces, numbering i,ioo men, had 89 killed and 
345 wounded. 

A year after that Captain TatnalFs warship, the Pow- 
hatan, went to Hongkong. As she steamed to her an- 
chorage she passed the British flagship Highflyer. 

'* Should auld acquaintance be forgot," struck up the 
British band. 

''Run up the Stars and Stripes," signaled the High- 
flyer's commander, and the band boomed out with "Co- 
lumbia, the Gem of the Ocean." In a moment all the 
British ships in the harbor were flying the American 
colors, and the French and Russians in a moment fol- 
lowed suit. The Powhatan raised the English flag and 
saluted, and every gun in the harbor rang out a hearty 
answer. 

Perhaps this story is rather a long one to be incor- 
porated here, but we trust and believe that its interest 
will be excuse enough for doing so. 

When peace was restored after the Tai-ping rebellion, 
the country trade rapidly revived, and, with the exception 
of the province of Yun-nan, where the Mahometan rebels 



Chinese History. 35 

under Suleiman still kept the imperial forces at bay, pros- 
perity was everywhere reawakened. Against these forces 
the government was careless to take active measures until 
in 1872 Prince Hassan, the adopted son of Suleiman, was 
sent on a mission to England, with the object of gaining 
the recognition of the Queen for his father's subjects. 
This step at once aroused the susceptibilities of the Im- 
perial government, and a large force was instantly or- 
ganized and dispatched to the scene of the rebelhon. The 
war was now pushed on with vigor, and before the fol- 
lowing year was out the Mohametan capital, Ta-le Foo, 
fell into the hands of the Imperialists, and the followers of 
Suleiman throughout the province were mercilessly ex- 
terminated. 

In the succeeding February, the Dowager Empresses 
who had governed the country since the death of Heen- 
fung resigned their powers into the hands of the Em- 
peror. 

This long-expected time was seized upon by the foreign 
ministers to urge their right of audience with the Em- 
peror, and on the 29th of June, 1873, the privilege of 
gazing on the "sacred countenance" of Tung-che was ac- 
corded to them. 

Tung-che died of smallpox on the 12th of January, 
1875, and as he left no issue the succession to the throne, 
for the first time in the annals of the Tsin dynasty, passed 
out of the direct line and a cousin of the Emperor, a 
princeling, said to be not quite four years old, was chosen 
to reign in his place under the title of Kueng-sen, or ''Suc- 
cession of Glory/' 

Once more was the country doomed to suffer the incon- 
venience of a long imperial minority. Since 1861 many 
changes have taken place in the Imperial government, and 
a somewhat wiser policy has been pursued. Under the 
regency of Prince Kung there existed a more vigorous ad- 



36 Chinese History. 

ministration of the laws and a more faithful observance 
of the treaties. Ports were opened to foreign commerce 
and foreign ministers permitted to instruct the people. A 
national flag was adopted, and a strong desire manifested 
by the Imperial government to become acquainted with 
international law. In 1866 arrangements were made for 
telegraphic communication between Pekin and all parts 
of the world. 

In 1867 Anson Burlingame, formerly minister of the 
United States to China, was selected as special ambassa- 
dor to the treaty powers by the Imperial government. In 
1868-69 he visited the United States and European gov- 
ernments, and died at St. Petersburg in 1870. 

Neither the arms nor discipline of the Chinese enable 
them to stand before foreign forces. They, however, for 
a long time retained a full persuasion of their own su- 
periority to all outsiders, and a belief in their military 
strength continued to be held in Europe, which was based 
not only on their enormous population, giving them re- 
sources for the formation of armies that are practically in- 
exhaustible, but also on the fact that they succeeded in 
recovering vast tracts in Eastern Turkestan, which for a 
time they had lost, and which Russia seemed determmed 
to keep them out of. 

This belief was at last rudely shattered by the war with 
Japan in 1894-5, which revealed the complete rottenness 
of the military system, and, indeed, of the whole admin- 
istratfon. 

Disturbances in Korea, whither Chinese and Japanese 
troops were dispatched, led to the seizure of the Korean 
government by Japan, and war between that' country and 
China was declared July 31. The three chief battles of 
the war were Penang, Port Arthur and the naval battle 
on the Yellow River. In the first China obtained some 
slight success, but in the latter two Japan was overwhelm- 



Chinese History. 37 

ingly victorious. In fact, the whole war resulted in the 
complete defeat of China, both by land and sea. A treaty 
of peace which included the payment of a heavy indem- 
nity by China, the cession of Formosa, the independence 
of Korea and other concessions was signed upon April 
16, 1895. 

Some of the concessions made by China of later years 
are as follows : 

Port Arthur and Ta-Iien-wan were leased to Russia 
March 27, 1898, for 25 years, but the duration of the lease 
may be extended by mutual consent. 

Wei-hai-wei was leased to Great Britain July i, 1898, 
for as long a period as Russia shall remain in possession 
of Port Arthur. 

Kiau-chau was leased to Germany, January, 1898, for 99 
years. 

Hongkong was ceded to Great Britain in 1841, a fur- 
ther concession on the mainland being made in 1861, and 
a lease for 99 years of an additional 200 square miles be- 
ing granted in July, 1898. 

Kwang-chau-wan was leased to France in April, 1898. 

The recent exclusive concession by Korea of a' site for 
a coal depot and a naval hospital at Masampho has given 
Russia control of the finest harbor in southern Korea. 



'r -.^^^y^^ 



CHAPTER III. 

THE GOVERNMENT OF CHINA. 

The government of China is based upon the patriarchal 
idea of parental authority, and from this the entire gov- 
ernmental system has been developed. The family forms 
the type of power throughout the empire. 

To a student of political economy of any other country, 
the governmental process proves hopelessly puzzling. 
He ends by classifying it as an absolute despotism. 

But it really is not such an insolvable tangle when we 
take as our basis the statement made at the head of this 
chapter. Parental authority is the model on which the 
government of the country is based. 

The head figure of the whole system, of course, is the 
Emperor. In the centralized autocratic government the 
Emperor is absolute in the entire, the governor in the 
province, the magistrate in the district. 

The Emperor claims no hereditary divine right, and is 
not always the eldest son of the preceding monarch ; the 
oldest son is nominated, but his right to the throne as 
Tien-tze (son of Heaven) Fung-tien (divinely appointed) 
can only be established by good government in accord- 
ance with the principles laid down in the national sacred 
books. 

If, on the contrary, he violates these principles, the 
people firmly believe that Heaven signifies by unmis- 
takable signs that their ruler is not its chosen represen- 
tative. ''The rivers recede from their beds, the ground 
sullenly refuses its fruits, the plains tremble, the hills reel, 
and the typhoon rages over seas and coasts," all alike ut- 



The Government of China. 39 

tering a "numbered, numbered, weighed and parted," that 
requires no interpretation, but is read in anxiety by the 
people, in dismay and terror by the prince, who seeks by 
repentance and a return to the true principles of govern- 
ment, to avert his doom. 

The Emperor is the father of all his people, and receives 
his authority direct from Heaven. He is absolute as legis- 
lator and administrator, but he must legislate in accord- 
ance with the general principles acknowledged in his 
country. He also constitutes in his own person the high- 
est criminal court. 

He is supposed to receive his authority direct from 
Heaven, and by Divine right is owner of every foot of 
land and every dollar of property in the whole country. 
To quote from a distmguished writer : 
"All the forces and wealth of the empire are his, and 
he may claim the services of all male subjects between 
the ages of^ sixteen and sixty. H^ has another, a sacer- 
dotal function, which adds largely to the reverence and 
semi-sacred character in which he is held by the people, 
and to which is due the seclusion in which he is kept 
He is the son of Heaven and, as such. Heaven's high 
priest. He alone can worship and ofSfer sacrifice on be- 
half of his people at the great altar of Heaven. In this 
service he has no recognized substitute or subordinate. 
He stands alone between his people and the Heaven 
which is to them the final power, the source of blessing 
and bane, the sentient and perfect judge, swift to reward 
virtue and punish vice. But he stands there as its son and 
servant, thus forming the connecting link between his 
children and Heaven, which is, in their eyes, his ancestor 
and theirs.'' 

In China, a parent has the most absolute authority over 
his or her child during life, and the Emperor is accordingly 
looked upon as the father of his people, with power to ex- 



40 The Government of China. 

c rcise his control over them in exactly the same way that 
the father of a family does. On that foundation their sim- 
ple theory of government is based, and there is no deny- 
ing that it is an excellent theory, with the proviso, 
however, that the parent should never err, and have a 
constant oversight on the action of his children. 

But in China, as elsewhere, the Emperor in his parental 
authority does err, and those to whom he necessarily 
deputes his authority and oversight are as little free from 
errors of judgment as he is himself. Hence the system 
does not work altogether well in practice. 

Still it is a mistake to suppose the Chinese government 
to be a despotism unrelieved by good points. On the 
contrary, it is vastly superior in every respect to the 
despotism which, until lately, prevailed in Russia, and in 
many other European states ; or which does to this day in 
Turkey and numerous other of the similarly constituted 
Asiatic governments. 

Though the Chinese form of government is based on 
the parental type, it is to be feared that the parents' grim 
- but loving control is only a fiction now, and that little but 
the absolutism of that form of rule prevails. 

Yet in their ritual and criminal code the exact parallel 
between the parent and the Emperor is kept up. 

Crimes against the Emperor are punished in exactly the 
same way as crimes against the parent ; for both the 
Chinese mourns the same length of time and goes un- 
shaven for exactly the same period. 

It is a system which, if not calculated to give much 
liberty to the subject, is yet productive of peaceful obe- 
dience, order and quiet people, w^ho from their childhood 
upward have been bred into the idea of being good mem- 
bers oiAhe community on the same basis that they are 
good children to their parents. 

In the regulations for the conduct of the people that 



The Government of China. 41 

are publicly read out by the principal magistrates on the 
days that correspond to the new and full moon, their 
theory is expressly enunciated, and cases could be quoted 
in abundance, in which the government has put in prac- 
tice the doctrine that domestic rebellion is exactly equiva- 
lent to treason. 

For instance the grandfather of a late Emperor pun- 
ished a man and his wife, who had ill used !he mother of 
the former, by first making the place where the crime 
took place accursed by placing anathemas upon it, and 
then putting the principal offenders to death. In addi- 
tion the mother of the wife was bastinadoed for her 
daughter's crime; the scholars of the district were not 
permitted for three years to attend- the public examina- 
tion, and their promotion was thereby stopped ; the magis- 
trates were deprived of office ; and, finally, the house in 
which the offender dw^elt was dug up from its founda- 
tions, and the edict ordering this signal punishment pro- 
claimed throughout the whole empire as a warning to all 
that the majesty of the ancient laws of the Flowery Em- 
pire was not to be infringed with impunity. 

Here is another instance : A man w^as found guilty of 
rifling the coffin in the tomb of a prince of some valuable 
ornaments. There was no evidence wdiatever that any 
relative of his was an accomplice, yet the entire family, 
thirteen persons, representing five generations, from a 
man of ninety to an infant of less than tw^o months, were 
put to death. The criminal and his parents were cut in 
pieces. Of the others, the men were beheaded and the 
women strangled. 

The descendants of the imperial family, who are now 
very numerous, are distinguished by wearing yellow and 
red girdles, and there are even certain hereditary titles, 
descending one step in rank through five generations; 
but, without personal merit, they are held in Tittle con- 



42 The Government of China, 

sideration. Most of the minor scions of the imperial 
family have no lands, and, as they cannot all be pensioned 
by the Emperor, some of them live in great poverty. One 
writer even declared that he has had many a time in his 
employ a man who, as a blood relative of the Emperor, 
was entitled to- wear the imperial yellow girdle; but he 
was a hod-carrier and earned six cents a day. 

In the Irnperial House, there are twelve grades of rank, 
confined entirely to its members ; and five other grades 
are open to the civil and military employees of the state. 
But these are not true orders of nobility going from father 
to son ; and w^hen the Jesuit writers on China applied to 
them the relative terms of duke, marquis, earl, etc., they 
led their readers into error. The Emperor himself, as has 
been intimated, has no hereditary right to govern the 
country. 

The Emperor is assisted in governing by two councils. 
1. The inner or privy council, composed of six high offi- 
cials, three of whom are Chinese and three Mantchus : 
also ten assistants. 2. The general or strategical council, 
which closely resembles the British cabinet, being com- 
posed of the most influential officers in the capital, who 
exercise high legislative and executive duties. The deci- 
sions of the Emperor in council are regularly published in 
the Pekin Ga::ette. There are besides in the capital six 
yamuns or public offices, each charged with a distinct 
department of government, and over all is the court of 
general inspection, or the Censorate, as it is called by 
foreigners. The mandarins composing this are the *'eyes 
and ears of the Emperor;" for it is their province to see 
that all officers of the government, provincial or metro- 
politan, are faithful in the discharge of their respective 
duties. 

The administrative machinery of the Chinese is very 
perfect in its organization, and demands an attentive con- 



The Govemment of China. 43 

sideration for a right understanding of the people and the 
govemment. 

In each of the eighteen provinces is an imperial dele- 
gate or governor, who, besides being at the head of the 
civil jurisdiction, is commander in chi^f, and possesses 
the power of life or death for certain capital offenses. 
He is privileged to correspond wath the cabinet council 
and the Emperor. 

Under the governor are the superintendent of provin- 
cial finances, the provincial criminal judge and the pro- 
vincial educational examiner; each communicates with 
his special board in Pekin. The governor is also assisted 
by many other judicial and administrative officials. 

The governmental organization of each province is 
complete in itself, but, in a few instances, two provinces 
— Kwang-tung and Kwang-se for example — form a vice- 
royalty over which a ^vemor-general, in addition to the 
governors, exercise authority.- Every province is again 
subdivided into districts, departments and circuits. The 
average number of districts in a province is eighty. A 
civil functionary, sometimes called the district magistrate, 
presides over this division, and is assisted by several 
subordinate officers. A group of districts — six is the 
average number for the whole eighteen provinces — forms 
a department, and is ruled by a prefect, who resides in^ 
the fu, or departmental city. Three departments, on an 
average, constitute a circuit, of which an intendant 
(Taoutae) has the charge. 

The several grades of mandarins or Chinese govem- 
ment officials (Chinese name, Kwang-fu) are distin- 
guished chiefly by a different colored ball or button on the 
top of the cap. 

Education, as the higher road to official employment, 
to rank, wealth and influence, is eagerly sought by all 
classes. Literary proficiency commands everywhere re- 



44 'The Government of China. 

spect and consideration, and primary instruction pene- 
trates to the remotest villages. Self-supporting day 
schools are universal, and the office of teacher is followed 
by a great number of literati. Government provides 
state examiners, but does not otherwise assist in the edu- 
cation of the people. 

The Chinese have a remarkable reverence for the 
written character. Waste printed paper is collected from 
house to house and burned to preserve it from profana- 
tion. 

The Chinese executive system is based on those note- 
worthy competitive examinations, which are intended to 
sift out from the millions of educated Chinese the best 
and ablest for the public service. 

By the result of these examinations every office in the 
country except that of emperor is determined. They are 
the source from whence emanate all rank distinction and 
power, and are accordingly of extreme interest. 

In order to obtain the first degree, three examinations 
must.be undergone; the preliminary one must take place 
in the chief town of the district of which the candidate is a 
native. 

Great numbers of candidates always present themselves, 
and judging from the numbers who fail the examinations 
must be very severe. One year, out of four thousand who 
competed in the two districts about Canton, it is stated 
that only thirteen in the one and fourteen in the other 
were successful. For fifteen to be successful out of five 
hundred is considered rather a remarkable feet. 

The next examination is held in the departmental city, 
and the number of candidates who present themselves are 
much fewer than at the previous examination, owing to 
the law that only those who have passed at that trial are 
admitted. 

After this departmental examination another sifting oc- 



The Government of China. 45 

curs. Those who have passed have their names placarded 
as having gained a ''name in the department," just as at 
the previous examination they had gained a ''name in the 
village/' The next examination is much more severe than 
the former. It is held under the supervision of an im- 
perial examiner, who for this purpose visits every depart- 
ment twice in each triennial period. The "Bachelor de- 
gree," if one may use this term, is gained by this exam- 
ination, and is given only to a certain number of the suc- 
cessful candidates in proportion to the population of the 
respective district. 

Most men do not think of going beyond this degree, 
especially if they do not intend to seek official employment. 
The possession of it confers many privileges, among 
others the exemption from corporal punishment. 

The next examination is held every three years at the 
provincial capital in the month of September, and it is 
sometimes attended by as maiiy as ten thousand bachelors, 
anxious to compete for the degree of licentiate. It is con- 
ducted by two examiners from Pekin. xA.t Nankin, on one 
occasion, 20,000 men competed, and the degree of licen- 
tiate was awarded to less than 200. 

Out of seventy-three candidates, who on one occasion 
obtained this degree at Canton, five were under twenty-five 
years, eight between twenty and twenty-five, fifteen be- 
tween twenty-five and thirty, eighteen between thirty and 
thirty-five, nine between thirty-five and forty, twelve be- 
tween forty and forty-five, three between forty-five and 
fifty, while three were beyond fifty. 

It must be remembered, however, that these were not all 
fresh candidates; many are unsuccessful, and until ren- 
dered hopeless by being rejected year after year, will regu- 
larly as the examinations come round make another and 
another attempt to obtain the coveted distinction. Hence 
the great disparity in age of the candidates. Altogether, 



46 The Government of Cliiiia. 

on an average, 1,200 to 1,700 may annually obtain the 
degree in the eighteen provinces. 

During the examination each candidate is locked up in 
a separate cell, measuring about three by four feet, for 
periods of three days and upward. He has to eat, sleep 
and write in this confined space, with one board to use as 
a seat and one as a table^ and is not allowed out on any 
pretext whatever. Food is passed in to him through a 
^ole in the wall. Frequent cases have occurred in which 
candidates have died in their cells owing to excitement and 
discomfort. 

The third, or examination for the Doctor's degree, ia 
held in Pekin, and thither all the licentiates who wish to 
compete must go. These seldom exceed two or three hun- 
dred. The last and highest degree is that of Han-lin. It 
is also held at Pekin, and the few who attain it become 
members of the Han-lin College, and receive fixed salaries. 
The licentiates are on the high road for preferment as va- 
cancies occur ; the doctors are assured an immediate and 
important office, while from the select Han-lin College are 
chosen the emperor's ministers who are in immediate at- 
tendance upon him. 

At these examinations the greatest care is taken that 
they shall be fairly conducted. 

The examiners are brought from a distance, surrounded 
by troops, as much to keep them from being communi- 
cated with by any one as to do letters honor in the eyes of 
populace. They are not allowed to see the examination 
papers, but only copies made by official transcribers. It is 
not until they have passed a paper as satisfactory that they 
see the original, when it is compared with the copy. If 
all be satisfactory, the candidate's name is seen. Up to 
this date it has been unknown, having been pasted between 
two sheets of paper. 

With all the precautions introduced to make this system 



The Government of China. 47 

of competitive examination, the fairest possible method of 
allotting the public employments, yet when such great 
things are staked upon its results, it can readily be believed 
that the ingenuity of the Chinese literati manages some- 
times to elude the most lynx-eyed of examiners. The 
American undergraduate who conveys into the examina- 
tion hall a series of notes on his shirt ^uffs and half a 
dozen problems of Euclid on his capacious palms is but a 
bungler compared with his Chinese brother, whose skill in 
this species of roguery is as much superior to the "West- 
ern Barbarians" as his civilization and "institutions" are 
older. The trick of employing a learned substitute — ^him*- 
self a graduate — ^to enter under the name of a candidate 
and perform all the exercises is a well-worn device in 
China. It will now and then happen that a friend within 
the building will learn the subject of the themes to be 
given out, write them in tiny characters on slips of paper 
and drop them inclosed in wax in the water which is sup- 
plied to the candidate whom he wishes to favor. But the 
most daring plan which the reminiscences of the Chinese 
Dons can recall was that of a candidate who engaged a 
friend to tunnel under the walls of the examination hall, 
and thus convey to him through the floor of his cell the 
documents and other information he required. Still, taken 
at its worst, the system must be allowed to be a superior 
one. 

The Chinese possess a carefully digested code of laws 
which is added to and modified from time to time by im- 
perial edicts. Their penal code commenced 2,000 years 
ago, and copies of it are sold at so cheap a rate as to be 
within reach of people of the humblest means. Death, 
which the Chinaman prefers to long confinement, is the 
penalty for a large number of offenses, and. in ordinary 
years, about 10,000 criminals are executed. 

There are three grades of capital punishment : First, 



48 " The Government of China. 

strangulation ; second, decapitation, which is much feared 
from the idea that a person goes into the next world in 
the same state in which he left this one ; and third, for 
heinous crimes, such as treason, parricide, sacrilege, etc., 
the punishment which foreigners somewhat incorrectly 
style cutting into ten thousand pieces. This consists in the 
prisoner having his face and other parts of his body 
slashed before the final blow is struck, so that he expires 
not only headless, but with his skeleton partially divested 
of flesh. Crucifixion and sawing asunder are two of the 
other horrible modes by which criminals are executed, 
and, strange to say, the former means, with all its long, 
lingering torture, is often preferred to decapitation, sim- 
ply because the crucified man saves his head, in which he 
is anxious to figure before his ancestors in the next world. 

In all these punishments a rich man can usuajjy obtain 
a substitute, the great difficulty being, not in buying a 
man to take the real criminal's place, but simply to bribe 
all the officials whose business it is to see the sentence 
carried into execution ; or, indeed, primarily, the one who 
has to pronounce it. 

Chinese prisons are terribly severe in their discipline, so 
that to avoid these Tyo-yo, or Hellsf as they are popularly 
called, for long terms, ^eath is frequently preferred. 

Females are not usually confined in prisons, but are put 
in the custody of their relatives, who are responsible for 
them. If a womaruTias committed adultery or been guilty 
of a capital offense, then she is imprisoned in the common 
gaol. 

No relative of the imperial family can be tried without 
a special reference to the emperor, and any one over sev- 
enty and under fifteen years of age has always the option 
of a fine for any offense not capital. An accomplice in 
robbery is admitted as evidence for the crown, and^ if it 
be his first offense, is not only pardoned, but entitled to 



The Government of China. 49 

the reward offered for the discovery of the thieves, if by 
his information they have been convicted. 

A slave is held in the eye of the law of much less im- 
portance than his master. If he, for instance, kills his 
master, the offense is punished as a minor form of treason ; 
while, if the master commits the same offense, it is looked 
upon as almost no crime at all. 

Robbery with premeditated violence is punishable with 
death, while the killing of a burglar in the act of commit- 
ting robbery is justifiable homicide. There are various 
modifications of the punishment for theft, as to whether 
it is from a stranger or from one's own family (in the 
latter case the punishment being lighter), and in regard 
to homicide in an affray or by accident. 

Parents have absolute control over the lives of their 
children. If a parent kills one intentionally, he is subject 
to only a year's imprisonmelit and the chastisement of the 
bamboo ; if he has previously been struck ; then no pun- 
ishment whatever is awarded. As was the case among 
the Hebrews, the penalty for striking parents or for curs- 
ing them is death. 

So tenacious are the Chinese of order that the fact of 
one person striking another with the hand or foot is looked 
upon not only as a private, but a public offense. Hence, 
the common spectacle of two Chinese quarreling, with 
endless gesticulations, but without ever coming to blows, 
and of the care which the surrounding crowd takes to see 
that the quarrel does not lead the disputants coming to 
closer quarters. This instinct has now become hereditary 
with the Chinese, for even in the foreign countries to 
which they have emigrated they carry this wholesome 
habit of allowing the tongue rather than the fist to act as 
a safety-valve for their ire. 

A debtor is allowed a reasonable time, fixed by law, for 
the discharge of his obligations, but if, after the expira- 



50 The Government of China. 

tioii of these days of grace, he fails to pay, he is Hable to 
the punishment of the bamboo. A creditor sometimes 
quarters himself, with his family, upon a debtor, and 
though this is not recognized by the law, no one interferes, 
provided it be done without tumult or violence. 

Certain forms of torture are authorized by the criminal 
code. Some of these are taken from a description pub- 
lished in the New York World. 

The punishment most frequently inflicted is that of the 
pantze, or bastinado. This form of correction is used in 
every part of China for every kind of offense. The num- 
ber of blows is in proportion to the magnitude of the 
guilt. 

The culprit is usually brought to some public place, gen- 
erally outside the city walls. There, in the presenc'e of a 
mandarin and a guard of soldiers, he is beaten by slaves 
trained for that purpose. If the crime is a serious one the 
criminal is held down by one or more slaves. The chief 
iactor, the lictor, is furnished witlTn half bamboo six feet 
long and about two inches broad, and with this he casti- 
gates the offender on the back of the thighs. 

When a female is whipped with the bamboo in civil of- 
fices and courts of justice, she is simply made to kneel, 
and then the strokes are inflicted on her thighs or body — 
only her outer garments having been removed. 

Of a more serious nature is the punishment or torture 
of the tcha .or cangue. This torture is inflicted for of- 
fenses of a grave nature. 

The instrument itself is a heavy wooden frame, formed 
of two sections fastened at one end by a hinge and at the 
other by a lock or screw. The neck of the culprit passes 
through a hole in the centre of this frame and his hands 
through smaller apertures on each side. Sometimes the 
victim is allowed the freedom of one hand, which he uses 
in relieving the weight of the cangue from his galled 



The Government of China. 51 

shoulders. The average weight of the cangue is from 60 
to 200 pounds, and the condemned is compelled to wear 
it from one to six months. The efficacy of this species of 
punishment lies, to a great extent, in the ridicule it entails 
and the utter helplessness of the offender, who is daily 
brought out of prison by the officials and placed in the 
public streets. 

Squeezing the fingers is a torture used principally to 
extort confession. The victim is usually made to kneel 
down. He is then tied by his queue to an upright post. 
The fingers of each hand are then put between rods (a rod 
coming between two fingers) which are so arranged that 
by pulling a cord attached to these rods the fingers are 
remorselessly squeezed between them. Finally, the vic- 
tim is willing to confess anything which his accuser may 
desire, so dreadful is the pain suffered. 

In another form of torture the victim is made to kneel 
on the ground, his ankles placed in a frame consisting of 
three sticks or poles fastened near each other at one end. 
Each ankle comes between two sticks. By pulling on 
cords fastened to the top end of the sticks the ankles are 
squeezed by the sticks as the latter are made to approach 
each other. 

All kinds of torture are reported to for confession. They 
include dismembering, flogging in all its varieties, and 
kneeling on hot chains. These modes of torture, entirely 
unauthorized and unrecognized by the law, are frequently 
resorted to by the magistrates and jailers. 

An instrument of torture known as the flowery eyebrow 
is named after a bird which being tied to a frame by a 
short string, continually hops about or flies away to the 
length of the string and then returns. 

The instrument consists of an upright post and two 
crosspieces firmly fastened to it. The culprit kneels on 
the lower of the crosspieces with his back to the post. 



c2 The Government of China. 

His arms are then outstretched and fastened to the other 
crosspiece, which is placed several feet above the lov^er 

one. 

Across the calves of his legs is laid a stick several feet 
long. To the two ends of this stick are attached cords 
that pass through holes made in the ends of the crosspiece 
on which the victim kneels. By tightening these cords the 
pressure on the legs becomes unbearable. Kneeling of it- 
self would soon cause intolerable pain. 

To this is added the pain caused by pressing down the 
piece laid on the upper sides of his legs while he is in a 
kneeling posture. It is said that the wrists and arms are 
pressed at the same time and in a similar manner between 
the upper crosspiece and another stick placed on the upper 
side of the arms. 

A curious but uncoriifortable form of torture is called 
monkey grasping a peach, owing to the fancied resem- 
blance of the victim to a monkey grasping something in 
its paw. It is commonly used by mandarins to compel 
prisoners to confess their guilt. 

The victim is suspended by one arm over a horizontal 
stick, several feet from the ground, while the other arm is 
passed down under one or both legs. The hands are then 
tied securely together by t6e thumbs under or near the 
knees. Thus no part of the body is allowed to touch the 
floor, and the whole weight of the wretched victim's body 
comes under the armpit on the one arm passed over the 
stick. 

A common punishment is to make a victim stand on tip- 
toe in a cacre made of slats or bamboo through the top of 
which his head protrudes and from which position he is 
unable to move it. The only relief enjoyed by the victim 
is when he pulls up his legs, when, of course, the whole 
weight of his body is thrown on his neck. 

One of the most grewsome forms of torture is the hot- 



"^^m 



The Government of China. 53 

water snake. Around the body and arms of the unfortu- 
nate victim are coiled snakes made of brass tubing. These 
fit the victim tightly. When the appointed moment ar- 
rives boiling water is poured down the mouths of the 
snakes. The torture endured by the victim is excruci- 
ating. 

The wire shirt punishment consists of a piece of iron 
netting, which is bound so tightly around the body as to 
cause the victim's flesh to protrude through the mesh. 
The sufferer is then shaved with a sharp knife, a;id it is 
on record that victims have subsequently had salt rubbed 
into their wounds. The above penalty is only imposed for 
crimes such as parricide and similar extreme villainies. 

Leaving aside the more serious rewards and penalties 
of promotion and dismissal, there is kept a record of every 
act of every official, and he receives merits or demerits, a 
system something like that in vogue in our public schools. 
The central government also gives rewards for special 
ability in public service. For instance, a peacock feather 
to be worn in the hat, and with one, two or three eyes, 
according to the favor desired to be shown. Then there 
is the permission to enter the outer gate of the palace on 
horseback. Again, a sable robe is given. But the greatest 
and most prized of all is a short jacket of imperial yel- 
low, the color sacred to his majesty. The last two are 
bestowed only upon officials of the highest rank. These 
gifts may be given or withdrawn* without in the least af- 
fecting the real position of him who receives or loses 
them. 

One great difficulty which the officials have to contend 
with are the riots which are constantly occurring in all 
parts of the country for any and every reason. 

There ought to be a new name coined for Chinese riots. 
They are not riots in the strict sense of the word. So far 
as the destruction of property and injury to person are 



54 The Government of China. 

concerned, they are riots, but they are started after long 
reflection. This comes from the Chinese political system. 

"There are officials in China who are satisfied with the 
legal pay and their legal fees," says Miss Margherita A. 
Hamm in an article in the New York Sun, '*but they num- 
ber about I per cent, of that class ; the rest vary in their 
greed and dishonesty. The system has gone on so long 
in Chma that the operation is not known as robbing, but 
as 'squeezing.' It is a high compliment to refer to an 
official as a light and courteous squeezer. It simply means 
that he is less ravenous than his predecessor or his col- 
league in the next district. The amount of the squeezing 
may be judged from the fact that a Tao Tai is supposed to 
live upon his salary of $5,000 a year and his legitimate 
fees of $5,000 more, and yet no Tao Tai keeps in his em- 
ploy less than one hundred men or supports less than a 
hundred relatives and servants. 

''iVccording to popular report, the squeezes are nine 
times the amount of the legitimate income. When an of- 
ficial confines his squeezing to a reasonable figure, the 
people of his district regard him as a good man. When 
he is very harsh and grasping, he is detested and quietly 
abused, but when he goes further and invents new modes 
of extortion, or is guilty of greater corruption than usual, 
then a riot of some sort takes place. The news of the riot 
travels to the provincial capital and then an investigation 
is had. The officials of the tribunal are likewise corrupt^ 
and generally extort from the accused personage a sum 
in proportion to what they think he has extracted from his 
subjects. The affair is then closed. This is the fate of 
nine riots out of ten. Sometimes, however, the news 
reaches Pekin. and an investigation is had there. Here 
the prices demanded are so high that the accused official 
is often unable to pay them, and is then degraded, dis- 
missed from the imperial service or even beheaded, which 



The Government of Cliina, 55 

is, of course, just what the rioters wanted. Often he 
raises the sums necessary to obtain an acquittal and an 
honorary dischargee/' 

The government of the Chinese people is a tangle of 
''ways that are dark and tricks that are vain/' Especially 
is this true in its intercourse with foreigners. The official 
class has never taken foreign relations seriously. When- 
ever there have been complications, the plan has been to 
promise everything, but do nothing which could possibly 
be avoided. Frequently have local officials instigated 
anti-foreign outbreaks which have led to murder or de- 
struction of property, and when the demands of the for- 
eign power could no longer be ignored, they have been 
degraded by the central government. But when the too- 
easily deceived foreigners had been satisfied, the same 
officials reappeared in positions of even greater impor- 
tance. 

In a proclamation, when referring to foreigners, the 
Empress Dowager said : 

''The stupid' and ignorant people who circulate rumors 
and stir up strife, proceeding from light to grave differ- 
ences, are most truly to be detested. On the other hand, 
the officials who have not been able to properly instruct 
the people and prevent disturbances cannot be excused 
from censure.'' 

How sincere the Dowager was may be learned fromi a 
pamphlet, doubtless inspired at court, issued just before 
the Boxer outbreak by a magistrate named Chao, holding 
office in Hsia Chin County, Shan-tung ProVince. 

In this the following occurs : 'Their religion is such as 
Cliina never before had, and is antagonistic to the doc- 
trines of the sages, such as family relations, the laws of 
benevolence and righteousness. In this regard these re- 
ligions are inferior to Buddhism and Taoism. Western 
sciences have their ancient root in Chinese principles, 



56 The Government of China. 

which have been stolen and secretly expanded. As to Oc- 
cidentals, their chaos has just begun to dissolve, and their 
savager}/ has not yet changed. They have no loyalty, no 
family ties, no true principles of sexual relations, no Ht- 
eratures and no truly civilized society. Because their 
land is narrow they have come to us searching the limits 
of the land for their own gain. In the matter of skillful 
search into the secrets of the earth they are far shrewder 
than we, but they do this simply for gain, and are bar- 
barians still, with all their industrial skill. They seek only 
gain from our country ; they aim to deceive our people, to 
surround our land, to disturb our national laws and 
customs." 

Truly an address calculated to quiet a turbulent popu- 
lace! 

Since the war with Japan, China has paid far more at- 
tention to her army and its arms than she did before, al- 
though she is still far behind other nations. 

China could to-day raise an army of 1,700,000 men, but 
they would be undisciplined and only one-third equipped. 
The Chinese soldier ranges from sixteen to sixty years 
of age, To become a soldier is a humilation in China. 
The magistrates outrank the military socially. The Chi- 
nese possess Mauser rifles and Nordenfeldt, Hotchkiss 
and Maxim guns. Eight million cartridges were taken 
into Pekin two years ago, and additions are constantly 
made. The Chinese have also thirty field batteries, with 
180 Krupp and Armstrong guns. A favorite Chinese 
weapon is a native-made rifle of one-inch calibre, requir- 
ing two men to handle it. China has also^ new colleges in 
engineering, navigation, military tactics and electric 
science, presided over by European professors. Properly 
speaking, China has no navy, possessing only four cruis- 
ers and a few useless fighting vessels. 



The Government of China. 57 

In July, 1900, the China Post contained the following 
editorial on the armament of China : 

''The Powers profess to have been entirely ignorant of 
the extent to which China has supplied herself with Euro- 
pean-made guns and ammunition. Now, in the outburst of 
wisdom that follows the event, it is gravely supposed ^that 
the civilized nations of the world, which have brought to 
perfection the instruments of destruction, shall monopolize 
their use, and prohibit their sale to barbarians — meaning 
in this case those peoples of the earth less able to kill than 
we are. If Boers and Chinamen and Indians, Asiatic and 
American, can be kept from owning rifles and cannon, they 
will be less dangerous to the nations that want their trade 
or their land. But what are guns made for if not to sell? 
Has not German industry been reaping the benefit of the 
trade which all the Powers have been so anxious to de- 
velop with China? China did not wish it; we forced her 
ports, and she opened her country to us on any large scale, 
only after the war with Japan revealed both tO' her and 
to the outside world how hopeless would be any attempt 
at resistance. Strange that we should be surprised 
when, compelled at the cannon's mouth to buy, she 
elected to buy cannon ! The disconcerting prompt- 
ness of his choice shows how quick was the de- 
spised Celestial to strengthen the weakest poinj in his 
civilization. But if we had let him alone, he never would 
have bought Mausers. If we are to develop China, we 
must expect to see her armed. England, with her firm 
grip on India, has found it impossible to keep the barbar- 
ous mountain tribes of the remote interior from supply- 
ing themselves with modern rifles. No measures which 
the European governments can adopt will avail to keep 
China from buying of the manufacturers through third 
parties, as long as China remains an independent Power. 
Even if they could, Chinese workmen are skillful enough 



58 The Government of China. 

to learn to make guns themselves when they have got our 
models. A civilized China means an armed China. It all 
goes together/' 

To return to the government of China, the people are 
apparently as well satisfied with it as they were hundreds 
of years ago. Not one of their uprisings has been against 
the system itself. There must be, therefore, in it some 
element which appeals to the better side of human nature. 

Mr. Meadows, the most philosophical of the writers on 
China, has entered very fully into what may be termed 
the philosophical side of Chinese government, which he 
sums up in the following doctrines and believes them to 
be deducible from the classic literature of the country, 
and the true causes of the wonderful duration of the 
Chinese Empire : i . That the nation must be governed 
by moral agency, in preference to physical force. 2. That 
the services of the wisest and ablest men in the nation arc 
indispensable to its good government. 3. That the peo- 
ple have a right to depose a sovereign who, either from 
active wickedness or vicious indolence, gives cause to 
oppressive and tyrannical rule. And to these he adds as 
an institution — the system of public service competitive 
examinations. 

But, on the other hand, these examinations by direct- 
ing the attention of students solely to the ancient litera- 
ture of the country, to the exclusion of the physical 
sciences and inductive philosophy, however efficient in 
producing that wonderful homogeneity for which the in- 
habitants of the Chinese Empire are famous, stunt and 
stereotype the rational mind, which, like the dwarfed tree 
the Chinaman delights to raise in a flower pot, or the feet 
of a Chinese girl, carf never fully expand. 

Whatever be the opinion of foreigners in regard to the 
Chinese, they, at all events, do not consider themselves 
ill-governed. 



The Government of China. 59 

For instance, how complacently does Yienkeeshe, a 
native author, write in regard to his happiness ; 

*'I felicitate myself/' writes this Oriental optimist, '*that 
1 was born in China. It constantly occurs to me, what if 
1 had been born beyond the sea, in some remote part of 
the earth, where the cold freezes or the heat scorches; 
where the people are clothed with the leaves of plants, eat 
wood, dwell in the wilderness, lie in holes of the earth; 
are far from the converting maxims of ancient kings, and 
are ignorant of the domestic relations; though born as 
one of the generation of men I should not have been dif- 
ferent from a beast. But how happily I have been born 
in China ! I have a house to live in, have drink and food, 
and commodious furniture. I have clothing and caps and 
infinite blessing. Truly, the highest felicity is mine.'' 

Sir John Davis, one of the best of the writers on China, 
says of this effusion that truly a country cannot on the 
whole be very ill-governed when a subject writes in this 
style. 



CHAPTER IV. 

MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 

We must remember that an acquaintance to any extent 
between China and what are generally known as civilized 
nations began only about thirty years ago, and for an ac- 
quaintanceship between countries, that is a very short 
time indeed. Then, too, into a large portion of the Flow- 
ery Empire foreigners have never penetrated, and there- 
fore naturally much in regards to the manners and cus- 
toms, the home and social life of the Chinese must be 
unknown or a matter of conjecture. 

As Mr. Holcomb, who was for many years Secretary 
of the Legation and acting Minister of the United States 
at Pekin, says: 

"Then (at the signing of the treaty of peace of Tien- 
tsin in 1861) first in the history of humankind two great 
antipodal worlds of men stood face to face and looked 
into each other's faces. The progressive and aggressive 
Occidental, quick, eager and alert, met in the Oriental 
the very incarnation of conservatism, the embodiment of 
dignity and repose. Action met inertia. The age of 
steam, steet and electricity stood over against the age of 
Confucius. Imagine a modem, pushing man of business 
introduced to the Chinese sage, and the two left to be- 
come acquainted and each to gather his impressions of 
the other, then add to the picture the essential fact that 
the sage had a positive unwillingness to meet the business 
man, and you will have a sufficiently accurate idea of the 
situation." 

China, to be sure, had no especial objection to carrying 



64 Manners and Customs. 

time for us to depart this world. But the Chinese have 
no such notions. They look on the coffins as a proof 
of the -love, respect and forethought of their children. 
Moreover, it assures them of a dignified, honorable fu- 
neral, which IS a matter of much moment with the Chi- 



nese. 



Death IS. in fact, looked upon by a Chinaman with the 
utmost unconcern, and suicide is resorted to as a means 
of freemg him from the most trifling worry and anxiety. 
Yet death is never spoken of directly in ordinary con- 
versation, but is alluded to in a roundabout fashion as 
die person "exists no more," "he has saluted the aee " 
ascended to the sky," etc. Banquets are offered to the 
dead and pathetic speeches addressed to them "To be 
happy on earth," say the Chinese, "one must be born in 
bu-chQw live in Canton and die in Leianchau," Su-chow 
being celebrated for the beauty of its women. Canton for 
.ts luxury and Leianchau for furnishing the best wood 
tor comns. 

"Honor thy 'father and thy mother" is a command 
which IS an integral part of every Chinaman. It is su.- 
tamed by public opinion, upheld ^nd enforced by law If 
a Chinaman should fail in this respect, even if he should 
escape punishment he would be completely ostracized 
by society. Sometimes this is carried too far, so that a 
man cannot exercise his own judgment until he is so far 
advanced in years that having been kept in subjection so 
ong It IS impossible for him to do so. At the same time 

Z. r^T^ ^'^' °"' ""^ '^^ pleasantest things to be 
seen IS the deference and respect shown to the elders. 

enl S -^""^ "^''''°" •" Chinese literature are 

endless Here is one: An old man of seventy dressed 
and behaved like a little child, so that his age^ plrents 
m.ght. when looking at him, not be reminled of he 
advanced years. 



Manners and Customs. 63 

the unlearned rich man is held in respect. Among his 
own countrymen he is valued infinitely less than the poor- 
est scholar who -has taken a degree at the great competi- 
tive examinations of which we have spoken in another 
chapter. 

It is generally believed that the inhabitants of the sea- 
port towns are the most favorable specimens of the peo- 
ple. But, as a matter of fact, the inhabitants of the in- 
terior villages are much better types than the coolies with 
whom English merchants and seamen come in contact in 
Canton, Shanghai and Hongkong. 

Those who have lived among the Chinese and studied 
their character most carefully, while recognizing that 
they have many vices, cannot but acknowledge their hos- 
pitality and industry, and agree that gratitude — a primi- 
tive virtue, . perhaps — is by no means rare among the 
Chinese. Age is universally honored and filial piety car- 
ried to an extent quite unknown in other countries. 
Family festivals are held to celebrate each d^Tade of their 
parents' life, and are sometimes held after the parents' 
death. 

Among other gifts at these family festivals a hand- 
some coffin is thought to be a peculiarly acceptable pres- 
ent to make to an aged parent. Indeed, every China- 
man if he can at all afford it, takes care to purchase a 
coffin during his lifetime, just as in America some old 
people accumulate linen to make their shrouds in antici- 
pation of death. In Pekin and other cities it is by no 
means an uncommon thing to see coffins borne through 
the street with much pomp and bands of music. This by 
no means is a sign that the last sad rites are being per- 
formed. On the contrary, the coffin is being carried with 
much display to the home of some Chinaman and his 
wife as a token of affection from their children. To us 
it would be very distasteful and a hint that it was about 



62 Manners and Customs. 

for hundreds of years and af tu^ 

vear or a h„„d"d ZTZoZ^rT""' ■"""'''"' '-' 

Tit- ?; -„ir£HH^^^^^^^^^^^ 
^:rtr:a-=~H=^^ 

teeming race that covers the countr ., ' °^ ^'^^ 

fraud and c„„„i„/„Sl"t e fp t'rnrc.""'''''^' 
istics of this race. Pheasant character- 

Everywhere are age and learning held in resne.. a ^ 

even in veneration. Their regard fJ ^ ^ ^"** 

dary .0 ,heir respec. for Z7nTZ Sa^JX "^ " 

'.ecaus. a[, rata^Jl^-f ,-;'---« ^^^ '^ «■ 
. learning. Hence m,,r ^ L ^"""^ ''P""S '"-"m 

■ and, /no, " ,Tng„"hTd bTa" T """"' >"= ™'^-' 

possessor of rich! s ™!s, , ' °," '"'^"'■"'' '^e mere 
, Who, V his own' L3e ;::„:"/:■- •" "■= -"^arin, 

HisHnction in ,he state n5„,'.t "'' '" "" ■"?'■'« 

■ •■ in th, aLt^u"" ™P""'"' himself. Ft 

the Anglo-Chtnese or foreign community that 



Manners and Customs. 6i 

on trade with England and America. She simply wished 
to know no one outside of her own domains. 

There was an imperial decree which sentenced to death 
any Chinese who should travel into foreign parts if he 
should be so foolish as to return to his native land. That 
law has never been repealed, although for many years it 
has not been enforced. 

China is surrounded and bound by an old— an effetely 
old— civilization, which neither progresses nor retror 
grades, wearisome in its uniformity, palling on the intel- 
lect from the polished yet uncultured extent to which it 
has attained." 

It may be said here that they do things by contraries 
in this country of the Celestial, so much so that a foreigner 
gets so used to the unusual and unexpected that natural 
things appear no longer real. In the Canton districts the 
farm hands build hay ricks around a tree for central sup- 
port, but instead of building from the ground upward like 
ordinary mortals, they start at the top and build down- 
ward. Religious processions on reaching the temple face 
about and walk backward. Doctors charge their patients 
not for the time they are sick, but for the time they are 
well. Instead of shaking hands with each other, people 
shake hands with themselves. A native mechanic puts his 
file in a vice and rubs a lock across the file. In a carpen- 
ter shop artisans use modern planes in a backward 
fashion. And indeed such instances might be multiplied 
indefinitely. 

Still the Chinese are a wonderful race, and it would 
require volumes to do full justice to their various charac- 
teristics. , 

It is a very ancient civilization we have to deal with, if 
even we accept a very moderate estimate of the antiquity 
of Chinese history. 

But it is a civilization that has been almost ^ 



Manners and Customs. 65 

In the Chinese disposition trickery and deceit are pre- 
dominant. TKey do not look upon insincerity and lying 
as dishonorable, but only as fair means of gaining an end, 
at least in their dealings with the ''foreign devil," who is 
always fair game for them. They will promise anything 
with the utmost readiness, and when the time comes to 
meet their obligation will invent a plausible excuse for 
not domg so. 

Cuotom is their ruler and has been for ages, though 
of late years they have been beginning to see that if they 
are to hold their own with the ''Western Barbarians," 
whose homes they represent to be in the desert, on the 
outskirts of the beautiful empire of China, they must 
change some of their ways of life and arts ; at all events, 
the policy of standing still is seen to be a retrograde one. 

"A Chinaman," writes Mr. Lawrence Oliphant, "has a 
wonderful command of feature; he generally looks 
pleased when he has least reason to be so ; and maintains 
an expression of imperturbable politeness and amiability 
when he is secretly regretting that he cannot bastinade 
you to death." 

To this early training in the control of their passions 
may be attributed the fact that robbery is seldom accom- 
panied by violence, yet they are very revengeful and will 
often take peculiar methods of wreaking it. Women will 
sometimes hajig or drown themselves merely to bring 
trouble on ti*ose with whom they have quarreled ; and, 
though quiet and submissive on ordinary occasions, will, 
when roused, rise en masse and massacre an obnoxious 
magistrate. If he escapes, woe betide him at Pekin. 

A Chinaman loves the land of his birth and the little 
village in which he was born ; and his hope is always to 
go back there, or at least for his bones to lie beside those 
of his own people, ii^ popular proverb says that "if he 
who attains to honors or wealth never returns to his 



66 Manners and Customs. 

native place, he is like a finely-dressed person walking in 
the dark" — all is thrown away. 

Mr. Holcomb has this to say in regard to one of the 
Six Companies of San Francisco : 

*'A traveler in China will occasionally meet a coffin 
carried suspended between two long poles, and the ends 
of these poles fastened to the pack-saddles of two mules. 
Upon the head of the coffin is a wicker crate containing 
a white rooster. The coffin contains the body of some 
man who has died away from home, and is being thus 
carried, perhaps across the entire stretch of the empire, 
to its proper resting place. The rooster, which must be 
of spotless white, unblemished by a single black feather, 
is supposed to guide or lead the soul of the dead man in 
the long journey, or to persuade it to accomplany the 
material part. And the livelier the young rooster is, the 
more he struts about in his cage and crows, the more suc- 
cessful he is supposed to be in the performance of his 
function." 

Now, a few words as to the so-called ''ancestor 
worship." 

This is most certainly a form of idolatry and yet one 
cannot fail to have a certain sympathy with it, as dictated 
by a principle of filial piety. The rich have in their 
houses a chamber, a kind of domestic sanctuary, dedi- 
cated to their forefathers. Tablets representing the de- 
ceased persons and inscribed with their names are here 
carefully preserved, and at stated seasons prostrations 
and ceremonies are performed before them according to 
the Book of Rites. All Chinese worship from time to 
time at the tombs of their parents. 

There is no such ostentation and extravagance prac- 
ticed in the households of China as is to be found in 
lands with which we are better acquainted. A Chinese 
official, no matter how high his rank, lives for policy's 



Maimers and Customs. 67 

sake in simple fashion, independently of the fact that 
simplicity of living is a fashion in itself. As he cannot 
exercise his office in his birthplace, to which he is sure 
to wish to return at the end of his official hfe, he has no 
motive to squander money on a fine residence, from 
which he is almost certain to be removed within three 
years if not sooner. In everything, therefore, but their 
habiliments, official people are generally very shabby. 
Even the offi.cial aristocracy attempt pomp only in the 
number rather than in the condition of their attendants. 

In the matter of dress the Chinaman shows his custom- 
ary practical sense, and varies the material according to 
the season, from cotton-wadded or fur-lined coats to the 
lightest silk, gauze or grass cloth. A tunic and a kind of 
loose jacket fitting close around the neck are his princi- 
pal garments. His shoes are made of silk or cotton with 
thick felt soles. The Chinese are apparently unacquainted 
w^ith the art of tanning leather thick enough to be used 
for soles ; the felt substitutes for leather are almost useless 
in wet weather. Their dresses of ceremony are rich and 
handsome ; for in China one can afiford to get a handsome 
dress that will last all his life through, and, perhaps, that_ 
of his son also, for fashion never changes. The mode of^ 
everything is prescribed by the Board of Rites and Cere- 
monies, and to make any innovations to the custorn or 
costumes is considered exceedingly bad taste, if not 
worse. Attached to the girdle are various appendages, 
such as the purse, chopsticks, etc. White is the color of 
mourning. 

The Chinese have little hair on the face, but the 
numerous barbers in every town find abundant employ- 
ment in shaving or shampooing the heads of the male 
population. 

A man is thought an innovator if he commences to wear 
a mustache before he is forty years of age, or a beard be- 



68 Manners and Customs. 

fore he is sixty ; but, in both cases, in that of the beard es- 
pecially, the growth is scanty. 

The hair is always coarse, straight and jet black. The 
queue or pigtail is more than a badge marking the Chi- 
nese. It is the symbol of Chinese manhood. An infant 
or a child has its head either clean shaven^ or the hair is 
allowed to grow in patches, anywhere it listeth. It is only 
when the boy has reached the age of thirteen or fourteen 
that he is formally invested with the dignified queue of 
manhood. 

The Tartar tonsure and braided queue, however, is not 
of Chinese origin. It came in with the Mantchu conquest 
of the country, since which time i8o millions of men have 
the hair removed from their heads at short intervals. But 
this is about the only thing the Chinese adopted from the 
foreign Mantchus, and this was really forced upon them, 
but only after great excitement and bitter opposition. Mobs 
and riots followed, but the new Emperor was equal to the 
occasion. 

By skillful decrees, such as forbidding criminals to wear 
a queue and requiring his ofificers to cut off these append- 
ages from all such persons, and allowing them to shave 
their heads, he gained his end. 

Now the queue has become almost an object of supersti- 
tious reverence among the Chinese. It is now adopted by 
every one, and, if scanty, it is eked out by silk or false hair. 

All idea of ^a pigtail being a mark of degradation is now^ 
effaced, and a Chinaman would almost as soon have you 
kill him outright as to cut his queue off. 

Every once in a while there is an epidemic of queue cut- 
ting in Pekin, something like that of the rascals who slit 
ladies' dresses in our cities, and this, too, when the punish- 
ment, if the offender is caught, is very severe indeed, 
sometimes even death. 



Manners and Customs^ 69 

There can be no greater mark of degradation for a 
Chinaman than to lack this coronal appendage. 

However, the Tae-pings, among other unnecessary re- 
forms, allowed the hair to grow and cut off their pigtails 
on the plea that such an appendage was a badge of servi- 
tude, and. they were determined to drive the Tartar out of 
the country. 

To tie two offenders together by their pigtails is ac- 
counted a disgrace. The sailor ties his hat on with his 
pigtail ; the schoolmaster will use it in place of his cane ; 
while, if life becomes troublesome to a Chinaman, he will 
contrive to suspend himself by making his pigtail serve 
the purpose of a rope. It is always let down in the pres- 
ence of a superior. 

It cannot be denied that this curious tail improves the 
appearance of the wearer. A Chinaman with his hair 
growing down on his forehead is a thievish looking indi- 
vidual ; with his head shaved, his pigtail nicely plaited and 
dressed, he is, on the contrary, rather intellectual-looking 
than otherwise. 

The fan is always an important part of a well-dressed 
Chinaman's "get up." It is made of all materials, and at 
all prices, from a few cents up to fifty dollars, some of 
them being neatly ornamented with pictures or maps of 
the large Chinese cities, embroidery, aphorisms from the 
works of Confucius 'and other favorite authors, or the au- 
tographs of friends who exchange fans with each other. 

A lantern may also be said to form the dress of a 
Chinese, for by law it is ordered that whoever goes out 
after dark must carry a lighted one with him. 

The Chinese idea of beauty, or rather of the figure 
which suits a person of fashion, is rather peculiar. A 
woman, for instance, should be extremely slender in ap- 
pearance, while a man should be corpulent, even obese. 
Both men and women of rank, or at all above the laboring 



70 Manners and Customs. 

class, wear their finger nails long, as a sign that they are 
not compelled to stoop to manual labor, and to such an 
extent are the nails allowed to grow that cases of ivory, 
silver and even gold, ornamented with precious stones, 
are used to preserve them from being accidentally broken. 
Even servants will now and then attempt this bit of fop- 
pery, and to preserve them from being broken, splice them 
to thin slips of bamboo. The Chinaman is very sparing 
in his ablutions, and appears to be afflicted with a strange 
hydrophobia ; for cold water, either as a beverage or for 
washing his person, he holds in abomination. 

They are very fond of th-eir children, and you cannot 
please a Qiinaman better than by praising his sons, and 
though infanticide and the sale of children are not un- 
common among the more depraved of the poorer classes, 
yet it is erroneous to say that either, especially the first, 
is a national custom. Children will be found floating in 
the river wuth large gourds attached to their backs, but 
these are the children who have fallen out of the family 
boats, w^hich are to be seen in such numbers on the Can- 
ton River and elsewhere, and all of them have these 
gourds fastened to them to prevent them from drowning. 

Profligates in China are rare in proportion to the hon- 
est portion of the population. There are, of course, scoun- 
drels in abundance, and foreigners are apt to meet the 
very worst class in seaport towns. Gambling is common 
among these people, but the casual visitor who takes his 
ideas of the whole nation from the disreputable, opium- 
eating gamblers with whom he comes in. contact, will 
form a very false idea of the character of the people in 
general. Gambling may be practiced by the higher 
classes, but infamy attaches to any government official or 
any respectable person who is known to indulge in this 
vice ; there are even laws in regard to this, and it may be. 
said that the better classes in China are exempt from it. 



Manners and Customs. 71 

Cock and quail fighting are amusements on which large 
sums are staked as bets. Card playing, dominoes, throw- 
ing dice and playing shuttlecock are among the other 
games. Juggling, kite flying and other amusements di- 
versify the leisure of the more opulent classes, and even 
the time Vvdiich the industrious laborer can snatch from 
his daily work. Some of the kites are wonderfully beauti- 
ful, being shaped like birds, butterflies, etc., and by a 
mechanical arrangement of the pieces give out a singing 
noise as they ascend. 

Theatrical performances are a common source of amuse- 
ment. The play, to our ideas, is insufferably tedious, usu- 
ally commencing with the birth of the hero or heroine, 
and following up the biographies until the scene is closed 
by death. Sometimes a play will last for years. A band 
of gongs make life a burden to the spectators vrho are 
not used to this dinning kind of music, the same scenery 
serves throughout, and the performers mask, so that the 
amusement is apt to degenerate into wearisome mjonotony. 

Somewhat in another strain, Miss Skidmore has this 
to say of the theatre : 

*'The Chinese theatre is well worth visiting, and, de- 
spite the absurd conventionalities and traditions, the Vv^ant 
of scenery, the din of the orchestra and the actors' high- 
pitched and falsetto voices, some excellent art is mani- 
fested there, and the costuming in the historic and legiti- 
mate drama is superb. All the topsy-turvy of Chinese 
logic is intensified, and the insane reversals of the cred- 
ible are p-iven rein in comedies, some of them so delight- 
fully farcical that China is a mine for exhausted authors 
and adapters of the Western dramatic world to draw 
upon. Lost 'face' is the supremely delicious situation, 
the hen-pecked husband is the favorite butt and victim, 
and the strong-minded wom^an is the dea ex inachina and 
pivot of action. In one favorite comedy a burglar prayed 



72 Manners and Customs. 

to his joss, and when twice pulled back by a devil in black 
calico, cufifed the joss soundly, and then entered the rich 
man's house as the wife was about to hang herself. He 
cut the suicide down, and when the master rushed in to 
repel the burglar, he thanked him instead for his oppor- 
tune arrival, and the joss was used as a club to beat the 
discomfited devil. Gorgeous officials thanked the burglar, 
who tied his queue to the suicide's noose and swung in 
air for three whole minutes, and the air was rent 
with the ecstatic shouts of the audience." 

Here is also a description of a theatrical performance 
given in a letter to the New York Sun by an officer on 
board the Danish cruiser Valkyricn, off Shanghai : 

''While this change of costume took place at the table, 
several startling changes took place on the stage of the 
improvised theatre erected in our honor in a corner of 
the hall. A show without beginning or end was going on. 
Actors with frightful masks tied to their faces, dressed 
out in the manner of dragons with horns and claws and 
twisting tails rushed hither and thither howling dismally, 
but doing no harm. There was an exasperating accom- 
paniment of war drums. Other people attended to the 
making of other noises, but we failed entirely in seeing 
the object of this consolidation of noises, and an object 
there is, say^ my learned friend, Onam, the mandarin. 
He tells me in tolerably intelligent French that the the- 
atre in China, contrary to the reports of our travelers, is 
not a historic institution. That means, in the Chinese 
sense, that it is not several thousand years old. Nothing 
is history in China that is not at least ten centuries old. 

'T had heard that women were forbidden on the stage, 
as I believed for ethical reasons, but Onam, the mandarin, 
informs me, in his blandly despotic manner, that it is no 
such thing, the matter being a piece of Chinese State his- 
tory. The Emperor, Yung Tsching, married an actress at 



Manners and Customs. 73 

the beginning of the eighteenth century, when women 
were allowed on the stage. The Emperor died, and the 
actress Empress Dowager ruled the country for her son, 
the Prince Kim Sung. To satisfy her vanity this shrewd 
and most pecuHar woman issued a decree in the year 1736 
forbidding, under penalty of instant death by the sword 
of the executioner, any member of her sex to appear on 
the Chinese stage. 'After me, no one,' said the Empress 
Dowager, and since her day no woman within the reach 
of Chinese law has dared to test the strength of her de- 
cree, although I am told that women are quite common 
on the stages of Hongkong, it being a protectorate of the 
British crown. 

''But Onam, the mandarin, has little taste for finance, 
and drops into history on every occasion. He tells me 
with a heavy heart that Chinese acting has declined dur- 
ing the last century, and from what I have seen of Celes- 
tial theatres I am inclined to think that he is right. He 
claims that nothing has been written for the stage for 
more than ten decades. The people prefer the classic 
repertoire, as if that could be the result of literary effort. 
The plays mostly represent national ghosts and devils of 
liistoric significance, and they sometimes go on for a week 
at a time. All the plays are graced by what the Chinese 
are pleased to call music, which is somewhat at variance 
with the ideals of our musicians, as it generally resembles 
the noise produced by a hotel dish-washing machine and a 
buzz-saw competing with a baggage smasher in activity 
of enterprise. Whenever Mozart and Beethoven have 
been tried in Shanghai, the Chinese listeners present have 
plugged their ears with their fingers. They find our 
music unbearable. 

"Every hamlet and settlem^ent in the empire has its 
theatre, which is almost always exceedingly well patron- 
ized. The stage settings are few and meagre, as the audi- 



74 Manners and Customs. 

ence is supposed to imagine the nature of the scenery and 
surroundings by certain tangible indications and clevv^s. 
Thus, a small pyramid of stones is placed on the stage to 
represent a mountain. Two men come out and fight to 
the death around the 'mouiltain.' Two other men ap- 
pear, march over the dead bodies of the fighters to the 
foot of the 'mountain,' where they raise a shout of fierce 
triumph, all of which means, in the Chinese sense, that a 
strongly fortified place has been captured after 'unprece- 
dented loss of life/ The actors who performed for us at 
the feast of the Toatai were imported from Pekin — all 
first-rate artists, says Onam, the mandarin. They played 
no less than five one-act dramas while we were wrestling 
with our cold soups and frigid asparagus, but as one act 
dovetailed into another, it looked, to our inexperienced 
eyes, like a continuous performance. As we use the cur- 
tain to indicate the close and beginning of the acts, so, of 
course, Chinese theatres omit the curtain entirely, except 
to close the show. The first piece accompanied the des- 
sert, and concerned a monkey that, by some mistake, had 
gotten into heaven. Various dragons and horny spirits 
were contracted for by the Celestial powers to eject the 
monkey, and after a lively chase the monkey, seeing the 
finish of its Paradisal existence, made a jump from 
^Eden' into the deep sea beyond — that is, it jumped from 
a box into a tub of water. But Chinese imagination at- 
tends to the rest ; space, Paradise, ocean, and monkey, are 
handled entirely with disregard. The action is the su- 
preme thing, understand, and when the monkey splashes 
in the tub every intelligent Chinaman knows by instinct 
that it has been turned out of heaven. 

"Onam, the mandarin, tells me that stagecraft in 
China is a very profitable and much respected profession. 
There are thousands of actors in the empire, and the good 
ones earn far more, proportionately, than our most sue- 



Manners and Customs. 75 

cessful artists. A native actor of the first rank will earn 
upward of $1,800 annually, and while thi§ amount 
is small compared to the income of some of our ac- 
tors, it will procure comiorts and advantages in 
China which could not be had for fifty times 
the amount in our cities. There is a National 
Actors' Club having 30,000 life members, and the 
Chinese temples house a special actors' god, who is sup- 
posed to look after them in respect to their spiritual wel- 
fare. While I was out in the entry to capture my over- 
coat, I found time for a peep behind the scenes. The 
young men selected to play the feminine parts were busy 
attiring themselves in heavily embroidered silk dresses. 
They squeezed their feet into torturously small slippers, 
and they daubed their faces thickly with a paste that 
shone like grease. They had acquired female ways and 
coquetry to an astonishing degree of simulation. When 
on the stage they acted with the petrified decorum pecu- 
liar to the native women, and they w^ere to all appearances 
very 'ladylike.' 

'Tt is not an easy matter to become an actor in the 
Chinese empire. The pupils must study three 3/ears as a 
super, and one year is spent in examining them and fin- 
ishing them ofif. During this period of apprenticeship 
they must learn some fifty-odd plays, and the rest of their 
life is devoted to the acting of these plays w^ithout any 
effort being made to learn new ones. An actor must 
never learn, which is only becoming to an apprentice, say 
the stage regulations, but an actor may condescend to 
teach worthy pupils." 

There are few holidays indulged in by the Chinese. 
The new year, hov/ever, is celebrated with great rejoic- 
ing. It is the fete dearest to the Chinese heart, and iust 
before there is feverish activity, house cleaning, the col- 
lecting and paying of debts. The shops, too, put forth 



76 Manners and Customs. 

their best wares. The devout also repair to the temples 
to gain the favor of the gods. The first day of the year 
may, in one word, be reckoned as the birthday, of the 
whole people, for their ages are reckoned from it. Vis- 
iting is at the same time carried on to a great extent, 
while parents and teachers receive the prostrations and 
salutations of their children and pupils. Unbounded fes^ 
tivity prevails. There is the burning of many crackers, 
and entertainments are given by one family or one in- 
dividual to another. Everybody is in the gayest attire, 
and courtesy and etiquette are shown by all. They send 
large red cards of congratulation to each other. Betel 
nuts for chewing and tea for drinking are ready at every 
house and offered to all visitors. 

The festival of the dragon boats is held on the fifth 
day of tlie fifth month. This is when the water dragon 
must be bribed and frightened. The methods of doing 
the latter is by innumerable gongs, firecrackers and ear- 
splitting cries. The dragon boats scatter prayers, sham 
gold, bank notes and ingots. The crews race each other 
and end the day in free fights. High and low, intelligent 
and ignorant, believe in a real dragon, potent for evil, 
and deeply fear him. 

At the first full moon of the new year is celebrated the 
Feast of Lanterns. Great ingenuity and taste are dis- 
played in constructing these of silk, horn, paper or glass. 
On the night of the festival, lanterns illuminate each door, 
really wonderful in their variety of form and material. 
Though much of the merriment is in our eyes extremely 
childish, yet it is not the less hearty and exuberant. For 
once the Chinese gravity is laid aside, and the mandarin of 
the red button enjoys himself as much as the little boy, 
whose diminutive pigtail has to be eked out with scarlet 
silk. 

Altogether, in their diversions^ as in their character 



Manners and Customs. 77 

generally, the Chinese exhibit strange contrasts, which ' 
would hardly be expected in so serious a people, and which 
are a mass of seeming contradictions. 

In the spring o-f the- year, "when the sun reaches the 
15th day of Aquarius," the governor of every city issues 
forth in state to ''meet the Spring," in this case represented 
by a procession bearing a huge clay image of the water 
bullock or buffalo, which is used to drag their ploughs 
through the flooded rice-fields. Children, fancifully 
dressed and decorated with flowers, are borne in litters, 
and the whole is accompanied by a band of music. When 
the governor's house is reached, he delivers a speech in his 
capacity as Priest of Spring recommending husbandry; 
and, after he has struck the clay buffalo with a whip, the 
people fall upon it, break it in pieces, and scramble for the 
smaller images with which it is filled. 

About the same period the Emperor honors the ancient 
and all-important art of agriculture by going through the 
ceremony of holding a plough. Accompanied by the 
princes of the blood, he proceeds to a field surrounding the 
Temple of the Earth, which has been all properly pre- 
pared by regular husbandmen. Some grain preserved 
from the previous year's crop of this field is then sacri- 
ficed, and then the Cousin of the Sun and Moon ploughs 
a few furrows ; after which he is followed by the princes 
and ministers. The "five sorts of grain" are then sowed, 
and after the completion of his labors, the charge of the 
sacred field is committed to an officer whose business it is 
to collect and store the produce of it for the annual sacri- 
fice. 

In like manner the Empress gives encouragement to silk- 
weaving. Accompanied by her principal ladies, she pro- 
ceeds in the ninth moon to sacrifice at the altar of the in- 
ventor of silk weaving. This done, she collects a few 
mulberry leaves for feeding the imperial silk-worms, and 



78 Manners and Cnstoms. 

goes through some of the processes of treating the silk 
cocoons in water, winding off the filament, etc. 

Although China is rich in undeveloped treasures and 
there are many very wealthy people among the Chinese, 
the poor, of whom there are many, indeed they form the 
masses of the population, are poor with a poverty which 
beggars all description. Poverty as it is called in Amer- 
ica and poverty as it exists in China are two very differ- 
ent things. In the latter country it means hunger and 
nakedness, if not, indeed, starvation. The wages are very 
low, skilled laborers earning on an average less than 20 
cents a day ; unskilled laborers not more than seven. To 
an enormous number of people failure -to obtain work 
for one day means failure to obtain anything to eat. The 
difficulty lies in discovering how they live at all, in the 
opinion of Mr. Holcomb, who says that their daily food 
consists of rice steamed, cabbage boiled in an unneces- 
sarily large quantity of water, and, for a relish, a few 
bits of raw turnip, pickled in a strong brine. In summer 
they eat raw cucumbers, skin, prickles and all; raw car- 
rots or turnips, or, perhaps, a melon, not wasting the 
rind. In certain parts of the empire wheat flour, oats or 
cornmeal take the place of rice. And it must be remem- 
bered that this is the food of the great masses of the 
Chinese people, not the beggars or the very poor, but the 
common classes of industrious workingmen and their 
families. 

Their clothing is as poor and simple as is their diet. In 
the summer it consists of shoes and stockings^ both made 
of cotton cloth, and trousers of the same material. A 
jacket or blouse, also of cotton, completes the apparel, 
but this garment is frequently omitted if the tempera- 
ture will permit. In the spring and autumn the poor 
man wears, if he can afford them, garments of the same 
material, lined. In the winter, in a climate like that of 



Manners and Customs. 79 

New York, his trousers are wadded, and his upper gar- 
ment is also wadded, or else a sheepskin, tanned with the 
wool on, which is worn next the skin. He has no knowl- 
edg'e of underclothing of any sort. One suit answers for 
all hours, since he sleeps in the same clothes in which he 
w^orks. 

The houses of the poor are wretched affairs, built of 
broken brick and mud. There is never more than one 
story to them, and they rarely consist of more than one 
room for a family of five or six. 

Beggars, of course, abound, and beggary is reduced to 
a system, many merchants paying a regular allowance 
agreed upon, in order not to be annoyed by supplica- 
tions. 

Drunkenness is not a national vice, but, unfortunately, 
this abstinence do€s not extend to opium. This drug 
seems to have an attraction for them greater than that 
for any people on earth. They take to it greedily, and 
the habit, once formed, is one not easily broken off. On 
the testimony of the Chinamen themselves, the effects of 
opium smoking must be regarded as injurious and de- 
structive to all the better parts of man's nature. 

Now to turn to an entitrely different subject, that of 
etiquette. 

Never was there a more elaborate code of etiquette 
than that of China. It may almost be said that with the 
Chinese etiquette is of more importance than morality. 
The observance of the rules of etiquette, rules which it 
has taken centuries to form, may be said to be universal. 
You can call a Chinaman a liar, and he will either take 
no notice of it, or accept it as a compliment, but if you 
accuse him of a breach of etiquette, it will be a deadly iiir 
suit and result in a quarrel. 

Etiquette controls all details of action and speech. Ont 
form is to exalt everything belonging to the man with 



8o Manners and Customs. 

whom you are talking and depreciate all that is your own. 
For instance : 

'*Where is your noble mansion ?" 

''The mud hovel in which I hide is in such and such a 
place." 

Among equals in China, it is a gross breach of courtesy 
to call a person by his given name, but superiors are ex- 
pected to do so. 

To foreigners, especially in official life, for Chinese 
officials are very tenacious of their dignity, blunders aris- 
ing from ignorance are often more serious than amusing. 

Much of the falsehood to which the Chinese are un- 
doubtedly addicted is'due to the demands of etiquette. A 
plain, frank ''no'' would be the height of impoliteness. 

Refusal must be softened and toned down until it almost 
amounts to acquiescence. 

A Chinaman will very seldom make an intentionally dis- 
agreeable or offensive remark. Their wishes are reached 
in a most roundabout way. 

This etiquette is by no means a Court etiquette, but one 
published by the state in the elaborate Book of Rites, pre- 
served through ages; an etiquette which is never altered 
by fashion — for fashion never changes — and which con- 
trols the everyday action of all the Chinese from the Em- 
peror to the coolie. Their prescribed ceremonial usages 
are three thousand in number. 

The most abject method of showing respect to a su- 
perior is by performing the ko-tow, and is that by which 
a vassal signifies his obedience to his superior. 

When an audience is about to be obtained of the Em- 
peror, this prostration is previously made before a yellow 
screen, and though it has been performed by some am- 
bassador, notably that of Holland, it has been always 
refused by the American, English and Russian ambassa- 
dors, and of late years has not been expected to be per- 



Manners and Customs. 8i 

formed by the representatives of any nation except such 
as owe vassalage to China. 

There are various grades of the ko-tow. For instance, 
standing and bending the head is less submissive than 
kneeling on one or both knees and putting the hands or 
forehead to the ground. Doing this once is not so humble 
an act of acknowledgment of inferiority as doing it three, 
six or nine times. Abject as it is, such is the innate filial 
obedience in China that the Emperor will perform it be- 
fore his own mother. 

Although only a comparatively small por-tion of the Chi- 
nese manners and customs could be given in the space 
allowed to it, enough has been shown to form an idea of 
how greatly they differ from our own, and, though there 
is much that is repulsive or hideous in them, still there is 
something that is not altogether unworthy of admiration. 



CHAPTER V. 

TRADING IN AND WITH CHINA. 

It has been recently said by an English writer that "the 
merchants and traders of China have gained the respect 
and admiration of all those who have been brought into 
contact with them." 

Not may years ago a manager of one of the largest 
banking houses in the most important commercial centre 
of the East remarked : 

**I have referred to the high commercial standing of 
the foreign community. The Chinese are in no way be- 
hind us in that respect. I know of no people in the world 
I would sooner trust than the Chinese merchant and 
banker. I may mention that for the last twenty-five years 
the bank has been doing a very large business with the 
Chinese amounting to hundreds of millions of taels 
(ounces of silver bullion) and we have never yet met with 
a defaulting Chinaman." 

This is very high praise, indeed, but-it is from one who 
knows of what he is speaking. 

The Chinese merchants are not classed very high in the 
social grade of China, but the fact remains that they are 
shrewd and sagacious, and, as a rule, upright and hon- 
orable. But they are also "possessing of the commercial 
instinct in a high degree, close, shrewd and far-sighted in 
their bargains, untiring in their efforts tO' get the best of 
those with whom they deal, and fertile to an astonishing 
degree in the *tricks of the trade.' " 

Many business houses in China have existed for a very 
long time, and this in a very large measure is due to the 
trade corporations, 6i which there are a vast number, some 



Trading In and With China. 83 

dating back three centuries. The corporation fixes the 
minimum price of articles of sale, and has secret agents to 
watch that no house takes less. This limits competition 
and prevents the injurious depreciation of goods. The 
pubHc alone suffers from the existence of the minimum, 
but it does not seem to care anything about it, and the gov- 
ernment never interferes, except in regard to the price of 
grain. 

In short, the corporations adjust the general regulations 
of business transactions and defend the common interests 
of all those associated with them. In case a member be- 
comes involved in law, the corporation helps him with its 
credit and money. 

The corporations also watch the transactions of their 
members, and fight any fraud that might harm the good 
name of the association. For instance, the silversmiths 
will not allow one of their number to sell alloyed jewelry, 
even though the customer knows what it is. 

The corporations also keep on good terms with the gov- 
ernment by large contributions for charities and ceremon- 
ials. The merchants also contribute on their own account. 
Each corporation has its patron divinity which is the 
object of its special worship. 

The corporations have courts of arbitration and a com- 
mon treasurer, but they keep much of the operations of 
these in secret. 

Besides the merchants' corporations, there are also cor- 
porations of artisans. Embroiderers, makers of cloisonne, 
tanners and carpenters have theirs. Carriers, Boatmen,' 
barbers, chair-bearers, jinrikisha men all have their spe- 
cial associations. In fact, every city has its associations 
and corporations, which are not like those of the next city. 
The article in the Revue des Mondes, from which we 
have gleaned the foregoing, concludes as follows in the 
translation of M. Courant : 



84 Trading In and With China, 

''These details show by how great a variety of forms all 
the corporations assure the same result, the organization 
of labor. The Chinaman is, in fact, a social being, bound 
closely to his fellows of the family, province, trade or 
class, by every tie and in every sphere of life. He is never 
a man living by himself and for himself, and is not accus- 
tomed to independence. Hence the authority of the cor- 
porations ; instead of seeming strange, they are a necessity 
to him. Consequently, the corporation has a right, by uni- 
versal consent, to exact obedience from its members, and 
to compel those who would stay out to come in." 

The principal manufactures of the Chinese are silk, 
cotton, linen, and pottery, for which latter they are spe- 
cially celebrated. 

The skill of the Chinese in handicraft is astonishing. 
Their rich silks and satins, light gauzes, beautiful em- 
broidery, elaborate engraving on wood and stone, delicate 
filigree work in gold and silver, carving on ivory, fine lac- 
quered ware, antique vessels in bronze, and their brilliant 
coloring on the famous pith paper, command the world's 
admiration. 

There are many traveling merchants in China, who 
travel from province to province, carrying their wares 
with them. 

The unit of money in the Chinese Empire is an ounce 
of refined silver money. Copper, cash, and paper notes also 
pass current among the people, and Mexican dollars are 
considerably used in those parts of the country where 
there is foreign trade. Chinese coin is not minted, but 
cast in molds. It is recorded that the first cash was coined 
about 2300 B. C. They are of various shapes, the best 
known one being round, with a square hole in the middle, 
and it may be properly called the current coin of the realm. 

From the critical condition of affairs in China, which 
necessitated intervention of foreigners, the attention of 



Trading In and With China. 85 

Americans was naturally attracted to the value and extent 
of the commercial interests they had at stake in that em- 
pire. 

It is generally known that within the last year (1899) 
American trade with China has increased to such an ex- 
tent that the United States necessarily becomes a factor 
along with Russia, Great Britain, and Germany, that must 
be respected in any future changes or complications in- 
volving the integrity of the kingdom. 

That our interests are much greater than is popularly 
supposed is evident from the report of China's import and 
export trade for 1899, recently forwarded to the State 
Department by Consul-General Goodnow from Shanghai. 
Notwithstanding the fact that we claim no particular 
sphere of influence, as do Great Britain, Russia, Germany 
and France, the United States leads all other nations in 
the sale of cotton goods and kerosene in China. In 1899 
the imports of cotton drills from America were 1,607,710 
pieces ; from England, 143,827 pieces ; from Holland, 29,- 
490 pieces. During the year the imports from sheetings 
from America amounted to 3,960,197 pieces; from Eng- 
land, 856,336 pieces; from India, 42,192 pieces. 

While American kerosen-e still leads in China, our oil 
is being steadily crowded out by the Russian product. 

The condition of our kerosene trade in China is most 
graphically shown by the following table of imports foi- 
1898 and 1899: 

1898. 1899. 

American kerosene (gals.) ....43,335,950 27,628,418 

Russian kerosene (gals.) 13,497,620 19,776,760 

Dutch kerosene (gals.) 13,223,075 3,861,898 

The net value of the import trade for the year is esti- 
mated at 204,748,456 haikwan taels ($188,103,778), being 



86 Trading In and With China. 

an advance of 55,169,122 haikwan taels over the previous 
year, and double the figures for 1890. 

The trade in cotton goods, which had remained practi- 
cally stationary for three years, also made a great jump, 
the value having risen from 77,618,824 haikwan taels 
($54,258,557) to 103,456,045 haikwan taels ($73,571.- 

917^. 

Nearly every article mentioned in the table of imports, 
with the exception of English and Dutch jeans and Eng- 
lish yarn, was imported in much larger quantities than in 
1898, 

The imports of flour used in the making of fancy cakes 
rose from 1,774,712 haikw^an taels to 3,189,497 haikwan 
taels, or $2,266,138. 

It is also interesting to note the marked increase in the 
imports of those articles which denote a desire for com- 
fort and luxury, such as cigars, watches, clocks, window 
glass, lamps, matches, needles, perfumery, sugar, and um- 
brellas, the bulk of which were supplied by England and 
the United States. 

Noticing watches and clocks in the above suggests that 
until very recently there were very few of either in the 
Chinese Empire. The Chinese had several other ways of 
telling time, one being the celebrated water clock at Can- 
ton, which is in a temple outside the walls. There are 
three big wooden jars on successive shelves, with a fourth 
one below with a wooden cover. The water falls in slow 
drops from one jar to the other, a brass scale floating on 
a board in the last jar telling the hour as the water rises. 
Every afternoon at five o'clock since 1321 A. D., the low- 
est jar has been emptied and the upper one filled, thus 
winding up the clock for another twenty-four hours. 
Boards with the hour inscribed upon it are set up on the 
outer wall, so that the city may know the time. 

The Chinese are also said to be very skillful in telling 



Trading In and With China. Sj 

the time of day by looking into a cat's eyes. When they 
want to know what o'clock it is, they run to the nearest 
cat, open Her eyes, and at once tell what time it is This 
they do by observing the size of the aperture of the pupil 
of the eye, which they have observed is of varying size at 
different hours of the day, being atfected by the position 
of the sun and the cliaracter of the light, even when the 
day is cloudy. 

Mr. A. Rothstein, a Russian financier and railway man 
who has been in this country promoting the interests of 
the two great banks with which he is connected, was 
asked, \^hen speaking about the strength of American 
goods in Chinese markets, how he thought the Chinese 
liked the Americans. He laughed. 
^ "They do not do business with Americans," he said. 
"It is not their way. They go to the merchants at the 
ports and say that they want certain goods at certain 
times. Now, all that they care for is that they shall get the 
goods that are the cheapest. The American locomotive is 
clieaper than any other, it is furnished to them sooner 
The same is true of goods, of all sorts of machinery, and 
of cloth goods. It is not essential that the American and 
the Chinese should meet that they should do business to- 
gether with great profit to both." 

Among the trades which have been affected by the 
Chinese troubles is that in American ginseng. The de- 
mand comes almost entirely from China, and Hongkon- 
agents have cabled their principals here that it is useless 
to make further shipments. American exporters are there- 
fore left with the goods on their hands, and prices have 
fallen. 

The price in July, 1899, was $4 a pound, but a vear 
later it was $3 or $2.50. The fail due to the war was there- 
fore twenty-five per cent, and at the present writing it is 
likeiv to become still more. 



88 Trading In and With China. 

The ginseng trade is one of the most extraordinary in 
the world. American doctors beHeve it to be practically 
valueless medicine, or at the most about as potent as 
licorice. The Chinese, on the other hand, hold it to be pre- 
eminently the greatest of all medicines. It is difficult to 
discover what are the particular virtues ascribed to it. 
The Chinese cannot be induced to give a precise answer. 
As far as can be gathered, however, they endow it both 
with ordinary medicinal qualities and certain miraculous 
virtues as well. Of the latter the most remarkable is the 
power of determining the sex of the children. They seem 
to believe that the eater of ginseng will have male pro- 
geny, the most desirable thing of all from the Chinese 
point of view. 

The exports of ginseng from this country run to about 
$1,000,000 a year, all to China. The root is to be found in 
the mountain districts of almost every State in the Union, 
The best quality comes from New York State, and the 
greatest quantity, though of an inferior grade, from Ken- 
tucky, West Virginia, and Maryland. 

The American ginseng is the ordinary article of com- 
merce. The quality of the Korean, however, is superior, 
and its price is often as high as $18 a pound. The Japan- 
ese, on the other hand, is not worth more than 25 cents 
a pound, while the Chinese fetches about $12. 

Tn an article in the New York Press, the Hon. John 
Fowler, United States Consul in Che-Foo, gives such an 
interesting account of our trade in China that we venture 
to quote it here. 

''The gains made in China trade by the United States 
and Great Britain are apparently nearly the same, but in 
reality our gains are much greater, for we sent vast quan- 
tities of merchandise to China by way of London which 
are credited as imports from Great Britain, and this is also 



Trading In and With China. 89 

the case to a great extent with Continental European ex- 
ports. 

*'In four years we have doubled our sales to China. 
Great Britain fell off 4,000,000 taels, and Japan's increase 
was twice as great as ours. In 1896 our sales exceeded 
Japan's by 361,182 taels; in 1899 Japan led us by 8,125,- 
617 taels. On the other hand. Great Britain's best year 
was in 1896, and Japan and the United States reached 
their highest figures last year. 

*'Jn 1897 the value of our sales to China exceeded those 
of all Continental Europe, including all the Russias (Eu- 
ropean and Asiatic) by $320,281 ; in 1898 this excess had 
increased to $4,171,934, and in 1899 to $6,191,936. Great 
as this excess is, it is not all, for large quantities of our 
goods now come into North China by way of Japan and 
Hongkong. 

''When on the customs jetty I counted eighty barrels 
of nails (8,000 pounds), all marked with the name of a 
New York manufacturer, and five large cases of cigar- 
ettes, each case containing 500 boxes, from Richmond,Va. 
There was tier after tier of cases of condensed milk. One 
firm now imports regularly 500 cases each month ; another 
recently imported 1,500 cases — four dozen tins in each 
case — and still another firm bought a carload. I savv can- 
ton flannel (twenty large boxes from Boston), several 
bicycles, cases of clocks, sewing -machines, household 
stores, canned provisions, and six windmills from Chi- 
cago. These goods, coming to Che-Foo in a British ship 
from the British colony of Hongkong, are credited to 
that flag. I frequently have mentioned this peculiar 
method of setting forth trade returns, and am glad to see 
that the American assocition has taken the matter up. 

*Tn 1895 Great Britain sold five times what we did; in 
1898 only a little more than twice as much; in 1899 the 
proportion was still more favorable to us. 



90 Trading In and With China. 

''Chinese merchants buy American oil in Shanghai that 
has paid higher freight^rates to that port than the same 
oil pays to this port from New York, and sell it cheaper 
here than the company can sell the oil landed direct from 
New York. That is to say, American oil sent from New 
York to vShanghai at higher freights is bought of the 
Shanghai office, brought here and offered for sale, after 
paying additional freight to Che-Foo, at a cheaper figure 
than the same oil which comes direct to Che-Foo. 

''Another thing that is hurting this trade is the adul- 
teration of kerosene. 

'*A merchant just in from Port Arthur says he knows 
that over $4,000,000 w^as expended by Russia for Ameri- 
can merchandise and material in 1899 ^^r that territory, 
and he adds that over $400,000 worth of lum.ber has been 
bought so far this year. For Kyao-Chou (German 
China), one American ship has come over with 50,000 
cases of oil, two sailing ships and one steamer from Ore- 
gon with lumber, and another discharged part of a cargo 
of flour in that port. The value of all this must have been 
over $500,000. 

"In the northwestern part of this province and South- 
ern Chihli the natives are much excited over the rumor 
that American oil tins contain evil spirits, which bring 
destruction and disease upon the land. 

"The total value of cotton sold to China in 1899, accord- 
ing to the abstract, was as follows: Drills, $3,037,631; 
jeans, $196,513; sheetings, $6,924,570. Total, $10,158,- 
714. 

"This also shows that the cotton goods trade represent- 
ed not only more than half of our entire exports to China, 
but that China bought more than half of our entire sales 
of cotton cloths to the whole world. But both estimates 
are under the mark, as neither includes the exports re- 
ceived by way of London and Hongkong, as well as 



Trading In and With China. 91 

Japan. The United States Treasury Summary of Finance 
and Commerce, December, 1899, gives the value of our 
exports to Chma for the calendar year 1899 as $15 225 - 
294, while the Chinese customs figures are $22,228 74q 
haikwan taels (at 72.05 cents this equals $16,059,0;!) 
While this exceeds our figures by $833,747, I have shown 
that only fives lines of import classified as American ex- 
ceeded the figures given for our entire trade by $1,081,- 
745- 

•'The exports of tea to all countries was 217,079,500 
pounds, showing that our country bought more than one- 
eighth of the whole. We bought more than half of the 
green tea, being by far the largest buyers of that kind 
while the Russians bought 55,488,391 pounds of the en- 
tire exportation (113,314,721 pounds) of black tea. 

•'I again urge our merchants to study the question of 
transportation. There is no reason why goods for North- 
ern China from the United States should travel thou- 
sands of miles unnecessarily. ^Merchants in the United 
States not knowing China should have on their desks a 
map of North America and Asia, with sailing routes- a 
directory of China, or, as it is called here, hong list (the 
one for all Asia, including China, Japan, Straits Settle- 
men s, Siam, Philippines, etc., is the chronicle and direc- 
tory) and the latest United States Postal Guide, with the 
page for 'Postal agency, Shanghai," marked for immedi- 
ate reference. With the aid of these they may know bet- 
ter than to send mail or goods to Che-Foo by way of 
Hongkong. •' 

"A firm in California wrote to me last year to help it 
engage in trade. After much correspondence a first-class 
house here cabled on February 22 for fifty tons of flour, 
according to sample, to be shipped by way of Kobe. Noth- 
mg was heard until a week ago, when I learned that the 
managers had sent 'something just as good, if not bet- 



92 Trading In and With China. 

ter/ and gave rates of freight, etc., by way of Hongkong, 
at $9.50 gold a ton. The firm here had arranged for a 
freight rate to Kobe for $6 gold a ton, and not to exceed 
$2 gold a ton thence to Che-Foo direct. Half of the order 
also was sent on freight steamer, leaving the Che-Foo 
merchant to run the risk of losing his customers. 

*'At the same tim.e this firm sent another order to a dif- 
ferent house in California. Result : Plour sent according 
to order on mail steamer, finding that the Che-Foo parties 
are right in asking for transshipment at Kobe, as it is 
cheaper ; through freight, California to Che-Foo by way 
of Kobe, $7.75 a ton ; thus at last initiating a direct trade. 

"Many of our merchants, when filling orders, deliver 
the merchandise to others for forwarding. A Japanese 
barber bought two barber chairs in New York. He paid 
cash, $37, for the two, and had to meet a draft for $18.90 
for brokerage and freight by way of Suez. Flad the manu- 
facturer himself taken the trouble to ship his chairs the 
barber would have saved at least $10 gold — a large item, 
for his monthly receipts do not, I suppose, exceed $20 
Mexican. 

'^Another merchant showed to me an invoice of clocks ; 
the broker's bills made them cost as much again as the 
original price. 

''A milk firm insisted on shipping from the Middle 
West by way of New York, although the merchant here 
begged him to send by way of California direct to Che- 
Foo. The rates were so high that nearly all the profit was 
lost, and California men entered the field and undersold 
him. 

*T have seen only one merchant steamer under our flag 
(and she had no right to it) since I came toi China, in 
February, 1890 — ten years ago — and it was seven years 
before T saw a sailer direct from the United States. 

"After urging our people for several years to introduce 



Trading In and With China. 93 

corn into China, I succeeded in getting just two parties to 
M^ite to me from the United States. One of the parties 
offered to dehver corn to Kobe for 49 3-4 cents a bushel. 
1 hgured that at that rate it would cost, dehvered here 
not more than 56 cents a bushel ; corn then was selling for 
about 65 cents gold a bushel. In December I received a 
cable dispatch asking for quotations, and after careful in- 
vestigation wired back 55 cents gold. This was under- 
stood to mclude all cWarges to the harbor. Two days later 
I got another dispatch, addressed 'United States Consul 
Fowler, Che-Foo." (I had written that my name and 
Che-Foo were sufficient; the words 'United States Consul' 
were superfluous, and cost the sender $10 gold. ) As rates 
do not fluctuate here so rapidly as at home, I did not reply 
at once, and next day received another dispatch, quoting 
65 cents a bushel. This was too high. As the Chinese 
thought a poorer grade than No. i yellow would do I 
cabled on December 21 for samples. In due course I got 
a letter that our figures were too low, and if the market 
improved they would send a man out to investigate noth- 
ing being said about the samples. There was nothing to 
investigate; my friends had done all that— they wanted to 
buy corn, and were prepared to pay cash for it. On April 
14,1 got by way of London a small package containing two 
samples of corn; freight paid, 3 shillings (73 cents). It 
required a customs permit to get it off the jetty. No let- 
ter of advice accompanied it, nor statement of prices One 
sample weighed i pound 8 ounces; the other, 2 pounds 
Had this firm possessed a United States Postal Guide it 
would have seen that these two packages could have been 
sent as samples to Che-Foo, by way of the United States 
postal agency at Shanghai, for i cent for two ounces, or 
12 and 16 cents respectively, making a total of 28 cents 
and I would have got them (if sent on receipt of my 



94 Trading In and Witli China. 

cable) about February i, instead. of having theni arrive 
too late to be of use. 

''Every trade paper should publish the postal rates 
under 'Shanghai' for the benefit of its patrons. 

"I am glad to note that the National Association of 
Manufacturers of the United States has oj>ened a ware- 
house in Shanghai. 

"I am often asked what language must be used in send- 
ing out catalogues, etc. ; some firms offer them in German, 
but more in Spanish. The commercial language of China, 
so far as foreign trade is concerned, is English. One must 
know either English or Chinese or starve. In the ports 
the trading Chinese all speak 'pidgin' English, and most 
of them can read, and many write, our language. Ger- 
man, French, Russian — all must carry on their business 
either in English or Chinese. It is this that helps to keep 
up the prestige of Great Britain, for most Chinese imagine 
that Americans speak another tongue, and, like the Ger- 
mans, French, and others, must learn English. I have 
frequently been told by Chinese that they 'savee English ; 
no savee American.' " 

The most significant thing, however, of all our trade in 
China is the marvelous progress of railway building in the 
Mongolian kingdom. 

According to Mr. William -Barclay Parsons, the .chief 
engineer of the American Development Company, the 
Empire of China proper, w^hich alone is half as large as 
the United States, contains only 516 miles of railway all 
told. Japan, about as large as one Chinese province, be- 
gan its railway building as late as 1871, and has now a 
well built system, ramifying all over the mainland, aggre- 
gating 3,500 miles in length and almost exclusively under 
the management of native officials. 

In i88t the first tramway was begun in China to trans- 
port coal, and since that time has been built the 508.7 



Trading In and With China. 95 

miles of railway in the north and 8 miles of railway in the 
south. 

'^Recently," says Mr. Johnson in McClnre'Sy ''import- 
ant concessions have been made to foreigners. The first 
is for a railway from Pekin to Hankow to a Belgian syn- 
dicate, which will get a railway into the heart of the Yang- 
tz?e valley. The next concession was for a continuation of 
this road from. Hankow to Canton. This was given to 
an American syndicate. Each of these concessions is for 
about 700 miles of road, and the 1,400 miles of the two 
will connect North and South China, and divide the coun- 
try into approximately tw^o parts, east and west. A third 
concession is for a line from Shanghai, by w^ay of Su- 
chow, to Ching-Kiang, and so on to Nankin, with an 
extension crossing the river to Sin-yang. This is an Eng- 
lish concession, and has a great value in that it controls 
the approaches to wShanghai. An Anglo-German syndi- 
cate owns a concession for a line from Tien-tsin, through 
Shan-tung, along the line of the old Grand Canal to the 
Yang-tzse River ; so that a summary of the present rail- 
way situation in China sho'ws, besides the 516 miles built, 
600 miles of the Belgian concession under construction, 
and five others either surveyed or under survey — the 
whole amounting to about 3,000 miles." 

In style of construction, Chinese railways are a com- 
promise between European and American lines. The 
only double track is that between Tien-tsin and Pekin. 
The locomotives are partly American and partly English, 
and the cars, both passenger and freight, are an adapta- 
tion of both American and English patterns. 

Mr. Parsons thinks there is no doubt that where the 
Chinaman gets his railroads he will use them. He cites 
the statistics of travel between Hongkong and Canton by 
steamer as nearly 1,000,000 passengers annually, besides 
the large travel by junks. He thinks there is no question 



96 Trading In and With China. 

but that the Oriental will patronize liberally the better 
mode of conveyance. 

Although it is commonly suppK)sed that the building of 
the Chinese Eastern Railway is due to Russian enterprise, 
the work of the American and British engineers and 
manufacturers must not be forgotten. 

Mr. Alexander H. Ford, in the Engineering Magazine, 
writing of "Anglo-Saxon Enterprise in Asia," says : 

"It did not take the news .of the opening of the great 
territory long to reach America. Soon the finest business 
house in Vladivostock was erected by an American, the 
most spacious Chinese structure in Port Arthur was se- 
cured as an agencv, and the introduction of American 
tools and American locomotives was begun. American 
activity was abroad in the land, and while the Russian 
engineers at first laughed at the idea of American manu- 
facturers competing with Europe they were induced to 
give a few orders. To their astonishment, the goods ar- 
rived in less than three months, and proved the most dur- 
able and efficient tools up to that time imported into Man- 
churia. The Russian officials suddenly realized that just 
across the Pacific, not five thousand miles away, they 
could supply all the needs of the new railway, and all 
hurry calls were promptly cabled to America, whose mar- 
kets were some fifteen thousand miles nearer Eastern Si- 
beria than those of Europe. American engineers who 
could speak Russian fluently enough to converse in tech- 
nical railway terms with the Russian officials of the rail- 
way found that a golden stream flowed ^through their 
hands to the manufacturers in America. In the summer 
of 1899 the Chinese Eastern Railway went so far as to 
send over two of its engineers, as a committee, to visit and 
report on the outlook in the United States of procuring 
every kind of railway appliance. They reported that 
more than three-fourths of the material and equipment 



Trading In and With China. 97 

still needed for the completion of the Trans-Siberan Rail- 
road, as well as the steel bridges, could be procured in 
America, of a better quality and more cheaply than in any 
European country. 

"Since then Russia's railway projects in the far East 
have been greatly augmented, and recently cablegrams 
were sent over for material for a branch line on to Pekin, 
so that now Russia is building with all speed from Pacific 
Ocean ports, Tien-tsin, Neu Chwang, Port Arthur, and 
Vladivostock, toward her great Trans-Siberian system, 
and tons on tons of machinery from the United States lie 
stacked upon the w^harves of these cities so adjacent to 
the western seaboard of the United States. Already the 
railroads extend for many miles into the interior from 
these ports, and, in fact, before spring navigation is 
opened, it is expected that they will be connected with 
Harbin on the Sungari River, which is the central point 
of meeting for the lines of Manchuria. 

"This city is not yet a year old, but it contains thou- 
sands of inhabitants, spacious office buildings, splendid 
machine shops, asphalted pavements laid down by Ameri- 
can steam rollers, and a Yankee electric-lighting plant. 
Harbin is also the winter quarters and general terminus 
for the line of English steamers and barges.'' 

Our country, perhaps more than any other, desires the 
preservation of China's integrity as an empire, and yet the 
disorder occurred in the very regions where our trade in- 
terests are largest. 

The custom-house jetty at Che-Foo is always piled high 
with American products, whose sales in Che-Foo, over 
$2,000,000 a year, exceed the entire value of our exports 
to some thirty countries. But the British were resisted 
and white men were killed in Che-Foo. Tien-tsin^ in a 
state of siege and temporarily cut off from all business re- 
lations, is, ordinarily, one of the largest- inlets for the cot- 



98 Trading In and Witli Cliina. 

ton cloths and kerosene that form the bulk of our export 
trade to China. In a word, our trade is chiefly with 
Northeast China, where the revolt originated. 

Now, as to the ''open door,'' on which so much depends 
for all nations, and which only began a certain time ago, 
will certainly before long be accomplished. Russia may 
prove a stumbling-block, however. All the Powers, with 
the exception of Russia, agreed to make the declaration 
asked for by the United vStates, on the condition that a 
similar declaration was made by the other Powers con- 
cerned. But only Great Britain and Italy, at the present 
time, have expressly agreed to make it. The exact propo- 
sals m.ade by the United States were that each power 
should guarantee : 

1. That it will in nov/ise interfere with any treaty port 
or any vested interest within any so-called ''sphere of in- 
terest" or leased territory it may have in China. 

2. That the Chinese treaty tariff of the time being shall 
apply to all merchandise landed or shipped to all such 
ports as are within such "sphere of interest" (unless they 
be "free ports''), no matter to what nationality it may be- 
long, and that duties so leviable shall be collected by the 
Chinese Government. 

3. That it will levy no higher harbor dues on vessels of 
another nationality frequenting any port in such "sphere'' 
than shall be levied on vessels of its own nationality — and 
no higher railroad charges over lines built, controlled or 
operated within its "sphere" on merchandise belonging to 
citizens or subjects or other nationalities transported 
through such "spheres" than shall be levied on similar 
merchandise belonging to its own rrationality transported 
over equal distances. 



CHAPTER VI. 

LITERATURE^ SCIENCE AND ART. 

In beginning this chapter, a few words as to* the lan- 
guage itself. 

The Chinese language belongs to those Asiatic lan- 
guages commonly called monosyllabic, because each word 
is uttered by a single movement of the organs of speech, 
and expresses in itself a complete idea or thing. Ail 
Chinese words end in either a vowel, a diphthong (m 
which, how^ever, a vowel sound is distinctly pronounced, 
making the word appear of more than one syllable), or a 
nasal. Of such simple words or roots there are about 450. 
But the emphasis or accent of m.any of these words may 
be varied by the speaker in four or five different ways, so 
as to produce a corresponding variety in their meaning, 
by which means the number of simple words or roots 
am.ounts to about 1200. 

There is no distinction of parts of speech, and no prin- 
ciples of inflection in the Chinese language, words being 
incapable of any modification of form. The relation of 
w^ords is ascertained by their position in a sentence ; hence 
Chinese grammar is solely syntax. 

The purest Chinese is spoken at Nankin, but the same 
idiom, called ''the language of the mandarins,'' is spoken 
by the educated in all parts of the empire. 

It will be easily understood that the mistakes and diffi- 
culties into which this intricate system of speech drives 
Chinese-speaking foreigners are often inconvenient and 
sometimes dangerous. Some years ago a petition in favor 
of a Chinese criminal was presented by a wealthy Chinese 

UflTC. 



ICK) Literature, Science and Art. 

merchant in person to the governor and council of Hong- 
kong. A well-known Chinese scholar began to interpret 
on the occasion, and the Chinaman began his speech with 
a reference to kwai kwok, or ''honorable kingdom," as he 
designated England. Now the syllable pronounced kwai, 
with the rising inflection, means ''devil," and used in com- 
bination with kwok is an abusive term not uncommonly 
applied to any foreign country. Unfortunately, the inter- 
preter confused the two tones, and, turning indignantly 
to the governor, he reported that, at the very outset, the 
petitioner had begun by speaking of England as "the 
devil kingdom." The just anger of the council knew no 
bounds and it was only after some minutes of wild con- 
fusion that an explanation followed which saved the 
Chinaman from sharing the cell of the man for whom he 
was pleading. To a Chinaman such a mistake v^uld be 
wellnigh impossible, for the tones form integral parts of 
the words, and to the ear of a native the difference be- 
tween kwai in the ascending tone and kwai in the descend- 
ing tone would be as great as between kwai and kwok. 

In Chinese the written character most generally does 
not indicate the word, but gives a hieroglyphic represen- 
tation of the thing to be expressed. Hence there must be 
as many characters as there are words to be expressed, 
but many of these are not in general use. 

In writing and printing, says a competent writer upon 
the subject, the characters are arranged in perpendicular 
columns which follow one another from right to left. In 
its origin Chinese writing is hieroglyphic or picture writ- 
ing, with the addition of a limited number of symbolic 
and conventional signs. The large number of Chinese 
characters are formed by the combination of hieroglyphs 
and signs. But as one such character by itself seldom de- 
termines the sound, an occasional word is conjoined for 
this purpose; so that the great mass of Chinese written 



Literature, Science and Art, loi 

words consists of an ideographic and a phonetic element. 
Native grammarians divide their characters into six 
classes. The first class comprises simply pictorial represen- 
tations of sensible objects, such as the sun, moon, moun- 
tains, and contains 608 characters. The second class in- 
cludes such characters as are formed by the combination 
of two or more simple hieroglyphics, which together con- 
vey, in a more or less intelligible manner, some other idea ; 
for example, the hieroglyph for sun, combined with that 
for mcron, convey the idea of light ; mouth and bird that of 
song, etc. ; of these there are 740. The third class em- 
braces those characters which indicate certain relations of 
position, as above, below, the numerals, etc. ; of these 
there are 107. The fourth class consists of characters 
which, by b^ing inverted, acquire an opposite signification, 
as right, left, standing, lying, etc., and contains 372. The 
characters of the fifth class are termed derived characters ; 
the meaning of the simple or compound characters used to 
express physical objects is transferred to mental objects 
or to other physical objects with which they are associat- 
ed; that is, the hieroglyph for a heart signifies a soul, 
that for a room signifies a wife, etc. ; of these there are 
598. The characters of the sixth class include those 
which are composed, as above mentioned, of sign and 
sound. Almost all names of plants, fishes, birds, and 
many other objects, difficult to represent hieroglyphically, 
are described by the compound characters of the sixth 
class, which amount to 21,810 in number. As this class, 
however, consists merely of repetitions of the other five 
classes, this immense number of Chinese characters may 
be reduced to 2,425, and whoever knows these may be said 
to know them all. 

Owing to the nature of the characters that appeal to the 
eye, and not to the ear, oratory is scarcely possible in 
China ; it is even exceedingly difficult to read a book 



I02 Literature, Science and Art. 

aloud, so as to convey to the readers the meaning of the 
author. 

The Chinese hterature is certainly the most comprehen- 
sive and extensive in Asia. 

The printed catalogue of the Emperor's library is con- 
tained in 122 volumes, and it is said that a collection of 
the Chinese classics, with scholia and commentaries, com- 
prises 180,000 volumes. 

One of the earliest published works is the ^ Book of 
Changes, the first and most revered, because the least un- 
derstood, of the nine classics. In the year 1150 B. C. the 
author, Wan Wang, v^'as, we are told, imprisoned for some 
political offense, and sought to while away the tedium of 
his confinement by tracing out a system of general phil- 
osophy from the eight diagrams and their sixty-four com- 
binations invented by the Emperor Fu-he. 

Next come the works of Confucius, ''The Book of His- 
tory,'' "The Book of Odes," and the "Spring and Autumn 
Annals." "The Book of History" takes us back to about 
the time of Noah. It consists of a number of records of 
the Yu, Hea, Shang, and Chow dynasties, embracing the 
period from the middle of the 24th century B. C. to 721 
B. C. These and a number of other manuscripts attracted 
the attention of Confucius when he was at the court of 
Chow, and selecting those which he deemed of value, he 
compiled them in a work which he called "Shoo-king," or 
"Book of History." This work, as Mr. Wells Williams 
says, contains the seeds of all things that are valuable in 
the estimation of the Chinese ; it is at once the foundation 
of their political system, their history, and their religions 
rites, the basis of their tactics, music, and astronomy. 

The songs which form the "Book of Odes" date back 
to a time long antecedent to the production of any works 
of which we have knowledge. In the words of the histor- 
ian Sze-ma Tseen, "he rejected those which were only 



Literature, Science^ and Art. 103 

repetitions of others, and took great notice how m-uch they 
took with the people ; upon which he would, and certainly 
might, very well judge of their present dispositions and of 
the most proper way of applying them according to his 
purposes/' Though the style and diction of these songs 
are of the simplest description, yet through them runs a 
rich vein of sentiment, and in forming a judgment on 
them it is necessary to remember that they are not studied 
poems, but simply what they profess to be, songs of the 
people. 

''The Spring and Autumn Annals," we are told, was 
given as a title to the book because its commendations 
were life-giving, like spring, and its censures life-wither- 
ing, like autumn. But how different is the book when we 
take it up ! In the words of Dr. Legge : ^'Instead of a his- 
tory of events w^oven artistically together, we find a con- 
geries of the briefest possible intimation of matters in 
which the court and state of Loo were more or less con- 
cerned, extending over 242 years, without the slightest 
tincture of literary ability in the composition or the slight- 
est indication of judicial ability on the part of the author.'' 

There is a book whose dicta have entered into the very 
marrow of Chinese life, namely ''The Book of Rites." 
This work is said to have been completed by the Duke of 
Chow in the 12th century B. C, since which tim-e it has 
ever been the guide and rule by which Chinamen have 
regulated all the actions and relations of their lives. No 
every-day ceremiOny is too insignificant to escape notice, 
and no social and domestic duty is considered to be beyond 
its scope. From the nature of its contents, therefore, it 
is the w^ork of all the classics which has left the most pal- 
pable impression on the manners and customs of the 
people. Its rules are minutely observed at the present 
day, and one of the six governing boards at Pekin — the 



I04 Literature, Science and Art. 

Board of Rites — is entirely concerned with seeing that its 
precepts are carried out throughout the empire. 

•Speaking of this work, Callery says with justice: "In 
ceremonial is summed up the whole soul of the Chinese, 
and to my mind this 'Book of Rites' is the most exact and 
complete monograph that this nation can give of itself to 
the rest of the world. Its affections, if it has any, are 
satisfied by ceremonial ; its duties are fulfilled by means of 
ceremonial ; its virtues and vices are recognized by cere- 
monial ; the natural relations of created beings are essen- 
tially connected with ceremonial ; in a word, for it cere- 
monial is man, the man moral, the man politic, and the 
man religious." 

There are also four books, which, with the five men- 
tioned, make up the nine classics. The first three, *'The 
Great Learning." ''The Doctrine of the Alean," and ''Con- 
fucian Analects" are by pupils and followers of the sage, 
while "The Works of Mencius" is by a disciple of that 
philosopher. All these, therefore, represent the views of 
Confucius, and if we ask what these views point to, we 
find that they may be summed up in the admonition, 
"Walk in the trodden paths." 

Lao-tse, who was the founder of a school of philosophy, 
wrote "The Book of Virtue." 

In addition to the classics, there are the codes of the law 
of China, a rich series of works on medicine, natural his- 
tory, agriculture, music, astronomy, etc., and numerous 
dictionaries. There are also several most valuable encyc- 
lopedias and geographical works, as well as a series of the 
national annals from the year B. C. 2698 to A. D. 1645, 
comprising 3,706 books. Poetry and the drama are also 
cultivated, and the Chinese have now so far thrown off 
their national pride as to have translated several of the 
best, English works on medicine, surgery, etc., into the 
Chinese language. 



Literature, Science and Art. 105 

Booksellers are common in every town, and books can 
be bought cheaply. All classes read ; even the coolie, rest- 
ing on his burden for a minute or two, will pull out a 
book — it may be a romance or a book of popular songs — 
and commence reading. 

Good newspapers are printed in the treaty ports. But 
people in the interior of China rarely read newspapers. 
They get their ideas of foreigners and outside doings by 
gossip. 

It may be well to state here, what is generally known, 
that the Chinese were the inventors of printing. This 
was at the close of the sixth century, nearly nine hundred 
years before it was known in Europe. In 932 A. D. a 
printed imperial edition of the sacred books was pub- 
lished. 

There are several fine libraries in China, among others 
one at Kublai Khan, where on tall stone tablets all the 
nine classics are cut in permanent text ; another at Hang- 
chow, and another at Pekin, the imperial library, the chief 
treasure of China. 

A few Chinese proverbs may show the Chinese people 
and their trend of thought better than any description : 

A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water 
shapes itself to the vessel that contains it. 

Misfortunes issue out where disease enters in — at the 
mouth. 

The poor are happy, the rich have many cares. 

Nine women in ten are jealous. 

The error of one moment becomes the sorrow of a life- 
time. 

Disease may be cured, but not destiny. 

Backbiting goes on from morning until night, but be 
wise and it will die. 

If your children are wise, money will corrupt them ; if 
foolish, it will magnify their vices. 



io6 Literature, Science and Art. 

A vacant mind is open to all suggestions, as the hollow 
mountain returns all sounds. 

He who pursues the stag regards not hares. 

Be friends with an official and you will get poor ; with 
a merchant and you will get rich; with a priest and you 
will get a subscription book. 

If the roots be left, the grass will grow again. (This is 
the reason given for exterminating a traitor's family.) 

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor the 
man perfected without trials. 

Riches come better after poverty than poverty after 
riches. 

Keep down the temper of the moment and you will save 
a hundred days' anxiety. 

To the man who cares not for the future, troubles are 
nigh at hand. 

A bird can roost but on one branch. 

A horse can drink no more than its fill from a river. 
(Enough is as good as a feast.) 

When the port is dry, the fishes will be seen. (When 
the accounts are settled, the profits will appear.) 

Consider the past, and you will know the future. 

Riches spring from small beginnings, and poverty i:?- 
the result of unthriftiness. 

Who swallows quick can chew but little. (Applies to 
learning.) 

You cannot strip two skins ofif your cow. 

He who wishes to rise in the w^orld should veil his am- 
bition with the forms of humility. 

The gods cannot help a man who loses opportunities. 

Dig a well before you are thirsty. (Be prepared against 
contingencies.) 

The full stomach cannot comprehend the evil of hunger. 

Eggs are close things, but the chicks come out at last. 
(Murder will out.) 



Literature, Science and Art. 107 

To add feet to a snake. (Superfluity in a discourse 
when the subject is altered.) 

Who aims at excellence will be above mediocrity ; who 
aims at mediocrity will fall below it. 

To win a cat and lose a cow. (Consequences of litiga- 
tion. ) 

I will not try my porcelain bowl. (Said in contempt.) 

There is no permanent feast on earth. 

He who toils with pain will eat with pleasure. 

Borrowed money makes the time short; working for 
others makes it long. 

Those who cannot sometimes be deaf are unfit to rule. 

Early preferment makes a lazy genius. 

Large fowls will not eat small grain. (Great mandarins 
are not content with little bribes.) 

The best thing is to be respected, the next is to be loved ; 
it is bad to be hated, but worse still to be despised. 

The poor cannot contend with the rich, nor the rich 
with the powerful. 

A man's words are like an arrow, straight to the mark ; 
a woman's are like a broken fan. 

One lash to a good horse ; one word to a wise man. 

Let every man sweep the snow^ from his own doors and 
not busy himself about the frost on his neighbor's tiles. 

Study is the highest pursuit a man can follow. 

Though the life of a man be short of a hundred years, 
he gives himself as much pain and anxiety as if he w^ere 
to live a thousand. 

The wise man is not talkative, nor the talker a sage. 

If your fields lie fallow, your granaries will be empty ; 
if your books are not studied, your children will be fools. 

By nature all men are alike, but by education widely 
different. 

Here are a few Chinese words which are in common us- 
age, and which it is convenient to know the meaning of: 



lo8 Literature, Science and Art. 

Hwang — Emperor ; yellow. Tsin — Prince. Tsin wang 
— Kindred prince; L c, prince of the blood; Tsung — 
Clan ; family. Nui Ko^ — Privy Council. Tsungtoh — Vice- 
roy, or ruler of more than one province. Footai — Gov- 
ernor of a province. Tituh — Major-general; chief mili- 
tary officer of a province. Taotai — Governor of a city. 
Shan-tung — Province east of the mountain. Shan — Hill 
or mountain. Shick- — Imperial. Yamen — Office (where 
official business is transacted). Fu— A prefecture. Go- 
down — A place for storing goods. Haikwan — Chinese 
maritime customs. Li — Chinese mile (one-third of an 
English mile). Squeeze — General term of extortion. 
Kiang or Ho — A river. Hu — A lake. Pei — North. 
Nan — South. Tung — East. Si — West. Sheng — A 
province. Hsiang — A village. Hsein — A district. 

People who look upon China as a heathen country, 
given up to degrading and ridiculous superstitions, would 
find in the old Chinese books much to modify their opin- 
ion. There is a large amount of sound morality and good 
instruction in the school-books of China that might well 
be taught to the children of the United States. 

Now to turn to science and art. 

Of the grand modern discoveries in the physical sci- 
ences the Chinese know little or nothing, and the study 
of nature is altogether neglected. The Chinaman objects 
to be wiser than his forefathers, but spends a lifetime in 
studying his classical literature and the sages of antiquity, 
and here is doubtless one great cause of the so-called 
homogenity of the race and the stereotyped nature of the 
Chinese mind. 

The sciences, therefore, are at a low ebb in China, al- 
though there exists an encyclopedia of human knowledge, 
according to Chinese ideas, in sixty-four volumes. They 
profess to set no value on abstract science ; utility is their 
immediate aim. Let a Chinese be shown the most beauti- 



Literature, Science and Art. 109 

fill of chemical or other scientific experiments and he will 
look on with a stolid countenance, and if he finds that it 
has no immediate practical application he will tiirn away 
from the operator with contempt. 

Yet they have stumbled upon a surprisingly great num- 
ber of mechanical and other inventions, in spite of their 
ignorance of the scientific theory of their discoveries, 
which they have applied to useful purposes. 

Among others may be enumerated spectacles, which are 
made of enormous size. 

They have attempted imitations of European telescopes 
(which the Japanese have long made excellently) from 
models supplied them, but without success. 

The first kaleidoscope, however, to reach China was 
ex'^ensively copied, and scattered over the empire, under 
the appropriate name of the *'tube of ten thousand 
flames/' 

x\strology is too much believed in for the Chinese to 
possess much sound astronomy. Indeed, until the learned 
Jesuits taught them the elements of the science, as culti- 
vated in Europe, they knew little or nothing of it. 

Their medical knowledge is poor, though their materia 
medica contains an immense repertoire of what are in 
most cases absurdly useless remedies. Surgery stands on 
about the same level as medicine, nor can it be expected 
that in a land where anatomy is not studied and physicians 
are held in small consideration that the science of medi- 
cine, in any of its branches, can be at a high standard. As 
a specimen of their anatomical ideas, it is widely believed 
that the bones of women are white, while those of men 
are black. 

Tn the science of numbers and geometry, as well as me- 
chanics, the Chinese have nothing to teach us, ingenious 
though some of their machines for raising water and other 
purposes are. Calculations are made with great rapidity 



no Literature, Science and Art. 

by means of the suan-pan, a mechanical reckoner. It con- 
sists of an oblong box, having balls of wood or ivory- 
strung upon wires in separate columns. One column rep- 
resents units, with a decimal decrease and diminution to 
the left and right. Each ball above the longitudinal par- 
tition which divides the board in two represents five. This 
machine follows them all over the world, though in the 
large towns- they sometimes write down numbers in 
abbreviated marks, and place them in numerical order, as 
we do our Arabic figures. 

Agriculture is very extensively followed in China. It 
may be said that it is the most agricultural country in the 
world. The Chinese are great vegetable eaters. They 
care little for any of the European vegetables ; even the 
potato has made little progress among them. Rice is the 
great object of their tillage. Everything is economized 
for manure ; and, as utility is the first object of a China- 
man, in agriculture as in everything else, the fi.elds on 
either side of the highways send forth an odor anything 
but grateful to the nose of people of a less practical turn 
of mind than the industrious cultivators of the "Flowery 
Empire." Irrigation is practiced, and, indeed, it may be 
said that considering the appliances, and the almost en- 
tire use of manual labor in China, agriculture is at a re- 
spectable, if not a high, stage. 

The Chinese people are more imitative than original. 
It is said that a Chinese tailor on one occasion imitated 
all the rents and patches on a garment given him to take 
the measure from, on a new one which he was making. 

Yet we must remember that they invented gunpowder, 
that the use of the magnetic compass was first known in 
China, while printing, as is stated elsewhere, has been 
used from early times in the multiplication of books and 
other literary documents. 

Printing is done from fixed blocks in the same way 



Literature, Science and Art. iii 

that woodcuts are. For printing the Chinese character 
this method is indeed preferable to using movable types, 
more especially when there are so many impressions re- 
quired for the use of such a reading people as the Chinese. 
They do, however, use movable types in some cases — 
when the type is kept standing and slight changes are re- 
quired from time to time. In preparing blocks for print- 
ing, the "copy" is first written by a professional scribe 
on very thin transparent paper and laid on the wood 
blocks, which have been previously spread over with paste 
or size. The paper being subsequently rubbed over, an 
impression of the characters remain, but in an inverted 
position. The wood between these is chiseled out by the 
woodcutter, leaving the characters in relief. They are 
then inked and impressions taken on thin paper, which 
is printed on one side only. 

Gunpowder is a very ancient invention in China, having 
been used at a siege in 1273. The composition of the 
Chinese gunpowder has never much altered, and that in 
use at the present time is almost exactly the same as the 
American. Cannon w^ere also used from an early date, 
the most ancient being tubes of iron bound round with 
hoops. 

The mariner's compass has been known in China from 
a very early period, and it is rather remarkable that it 
should have been invented in a nation so little addicted to 
long voyages as the Chinese. It may be added, that not 
only did they know the use of the compass, but that they 
were acquainted with its variations; that is, its deviation 
from the true pole, a piece of know^ledge not acquired in 
Europe until long after the compass was in use on long 
voyages. 

Navigation as an art is likely to make rapid advances 
in China, but it has certainly retrograded from what it 
was in former times, when her sailors navigated as far as 



112 Literature, Science and Art. 

India, while at present the Malay Islands form about the 
limit of their foreign voyages. Though not a seafaring 
people, they make many coasting voyages. 

The Chinese are good mechanicians and manufacture 
beautiful lacquered ware in the shape of cabinets, trays, 
etc., though as artists they have not the skill or taste of 
the Japanese. 

They have long had in use a machine for cleaning raw 
cotton, and their various kinds of wheels, etc., for raising 
water are very ingenious. They are, however, averse to 
machinery, on the plea that machines would save human 
labor, and, therefore, throw out of employment large 
numbers of the population. But there seems to be every 
likelihood that in time these ideas will disappear before 
the hard logic of facts. 

The silk and porcelain manufactures of China have 
long been world-famous. Indeed, so well known were 
they as porcelain makers that the name of the country 
has been given to some of the finer varieties of the manu- 
facture, known in every household as ''china." 

The Chinese candles and mirrors are also excellent : the 
latter especially are often of wonderful construction. 
Glass has long been known to them, but many of the 
houses have semi-transparent horn or mica for window 
panes, this being considered as better proof against the 
extreme of heat or cold. 

The ivory carvings of China are of great beauty, and 
many of them of the most intricate nature. A common 
Chinese puzzle consists of seven or eight ivory balls, one 
within the other. In reality there is no deception in the 
matter. They are actually cut one within the other, by 
means of sharp, crooked instruments, working through 
the numerous round holes with which the balls are per- 
forated, and which enable the workman to cut away the 



Literature, Science and Art. 113 

substance between, and thus to detach the balls from one 
another, after which the surfaces are carved. 

They also cut ornaments, boxes, figures, etc., out of 
agate, rock crystal, soapstone, etc., in the most ingeniously 
beautiful manner. Their very tools prove their origi- 
nality. Their saw, for example, is a thin plate of steel, 
kept straight by a strip of bamboo running along the 
back of it, which also serves as a handle. 

Fine art has never made great advances in China. The 
Chinese have little idea of the arrangement of the figures 
in a painting, and no knowledge whatever of perspective 
or of light and shade. Yet they are exquisite colorists, 
and in some of their sketches display not a little humor. 

Though their gardens are rather artificially laid out, 
yet many of them display great taste and considerable 
ingenuity in producing picturesque effects, and their skill 
in the cultivation of plants has long been recognized. 

They have many musical instruments, among them 
lutes, guitars, flutes, a three-stringed fiddle, a sort of 
wired harmonicon, drums covered with snake skin, and 
many of them have a considerable taste for, and skill in, 
music. 



CHAPTER VIL 

RELIGIONS AND SUPERSTITIONS. 

The Chinese, odd and confusing in so many ways^ 
exhibit in the matter of reHgion their usual eccentricity. 

in China, ther€ are three great religions, if they can so 
be called — Confucianism, Taouism and Buddhism. The 
first two are indigenous ; the last is an importation from 
India. A struggle for ascendancy was long maintained 
bet\veen these religions, but it has now long ceased; in- 
deed, it is no unusual thing for the same persoia to prcy- 
fess all three, and as they supplement each other, it is not 
at all inconsistent. 

Between the follow^ers of the three national religions, 
there is not only a total absence of persecution and bitter 
feeling, but a very great indifference as to which of them 
one may belong. It arises probably from religious 
apathy ; still it is preferable to the fanatical zeal and cut- 
throat earnestness of the Moslem. Amongst the politer 
classes, when strangers meet, the question is asked : "To 
which sublime religion do you belong?'' and each one 
pronounces a eulogism, not on his own religion, but on 
that professed by the others, and concludes with the oft- 
repeated formula: ''Religions are many; reason is one; 
we are all brothers." 

The government is equally tolerant of religious diver- 
sity, except w^hen a political design is suspected. 

Buddhism was introduced from India during the first 
century of the Christian era, and thus coming at a time 
when the national mind had been prepared by the teach- 
ings of Confucius and the mysticism of Laou-tsze for the 



Religions and Superstitions. 115 

reception of a religious system which should satisfy the 
requirements of its higher nature, the new faith spread 
rapidly through the country. While it is even now prev- 
alent all over the empire, and influences more or less the 
great mass of the people, it is fast losing its hold on them 
and has little of the power and authority it once pos- 
sessed. 

The northern form of Buddhism, which differs consid- 
erably from that of Ceylon and the Indo-Chinese Penin- 
sula, prevails in China. Its sacred books, in common 
with those of Nepaul and Thibet, are written in Sanscrit 
or are translations from that language. Amongst other 
additions to the creed are the Western Paradise and the 
Goddess of Mercy. 

''Buddhism has manifestly taken on certain additional 
ideas, with their corresponding phrases and terms, by be- 
ing brought into contact and contrast with Christianity. 
Certain of the most important expressions in Buddhism, 
as taught to-day, are not to be found in the original 
theories of existences and of rewards and' punishments. 
Early Buddhism says nothing about heaven or hell, a 
personal devil, or a goddess of mercy. Such an image 
as a Buddhist priest treading Satan under his feet would 
not have been understood by primitive Buddhists, nor 
by Quan Yan, the Buddhist Madonna/' 

Temples are very numerous. There is no landscape 
that is not conspicuous by one of them. Most of them 
are wretched affairs, mud hovels, but some of them are 
very handsome and crowded with images. As a rule they 
are built and supported by private subscription, but some 
receive governm.ent aid, and these are distinguished by 
roofs of yellow, the imperial color. The many-storied 
tower takes the place of the bell-shaped dagoba or relic 
shrine of other Buddhist countries. 

The number of begging monks is large. He wears a 



Ii6 Religions and Superstitions. 

loose, yellow robe and yellow stockings ; at his back is a 
wallet in which to receive the contributions of the faith- 
ful ; and he gives notice of his approach by striking a sort 
of drum called the muh-yu. 

The priests, as a rule, are ignorant and vicious. Celi- 
bacy is prescribed for them, and not one in ten can read 
or write. Still they are treated with more or less respect 
by the common people. As in other countries we could 
mention, the men pay but little attention to religion in 
prosperous times. It is only in adversity that they turn 
to their gods. As a rule, women and children form the 
vast mass of the worshippers. 

There is no such thing as congregational worship. 
The temples are always open, day and night, and a priest 
is constantly in attendance. 

The usual form of worship is very simple and only oc- 
cupies a minute or two. 

A believer, either real or professed, enters the temple, 
and for a small sum of money purchases sticks of incense 
from the priest, who lights them at the wick of the sacred 
lamp. The worshipper then puts them in a bronze in- 
cense holder before the image of Buddha. He then pros- 
trates himself three times upon a rug in front of the 
image, each time beating his head upon the floor. The 
priest, meanwhile, beats a drum or rings a bell to attract 
the attention of the god. The worshipper then gets up 
and goes out ; his devotions have cost him but a small 
sum of money and taken but little time from his business 
or pleasure. 

Taouism w^as formulated by Laou-tsze, who was a con- 
temporary of Confucius. The Taouists are the rational- 
ists of China, though why they are called so might be a 
subject for dispute. Like Confucius, Laou-tsze held office 
at the court of Chow, and being disheartened at the want 
of success attending his efforts to reform the manners of 



Religions and Superstitions. 117 

the age, he retired into private life and devoted himself 
to the composition of '*The Lutra of Reason and Virtue/' 
In this work he enumerated a scheme of philosophy, the 
leading point being the relation between something he 
calls Taou and the universe. The philosophical bearing 
of this system was, however, soon lost sight of, and his 
profound speculations were exchanged for the pursuit of 
immortality and the search of the philosopher's stone by 
his followers. 

Taouism has not more hold than Buddhism upon the 
literate Chinese. Its priests are generally ignorant, few 
of them teaching or understanding the real principles of 
their faith. They practice a mystic alchemy, prepare 
spells and incantations, and, like modern spiritualists, hold 
intercourse with the dead. When all other remedies have 
failed with a sick person, the Taouist priests are some- 
times sent for to exorcise the evil spirit that is supposed 
to afflict the patient; and they chant prayers from their 
mystic ritual amid the din of gongs, drums, fluted, etc. 
These mystics worship certain stars, which are supposed 
to influence human life, and also genii, devils and inferior 
spirits. They live in temples with their families and are 
known by their slate-colored robes. 

But while Buddhism and Taouism have their adherents 
among the common people, Confucianism is far and away 
the religion of the learned. The opinions and teachings 
of the sage are their constant study, and at stated periods 
they assemble in temples devoted to his honor to worship 
at the shrine of the "Throneless King." 

It is rather hard to understand how Confucius came to 
be regarded as the founder of a religious belief. He was 
a moral philosopher, not a religious leader. Still, Con- 
fucianism is the basis of the social life and political sys- 
tem of the Chinese. It has been professed by all their 
greatest men, and is still the sole belief of the educated 



Ii8 Religions and Superstitions. 

classes. As has been intimated, it Is less a religion than 
a philosophy, and does not pretend to speak of spiritual 
things. The questions to which Confucius replied were: 
*'How shall I do my duty to my neighbor?'' **How can 
I best discharge the duty of a virtuous citizen?" 

At the same time it must be remembered that Con- 
fucianism is also believed in by the masses. Time has 
obliterated the lines which originally separated the three 
religions, so that to-day the dogmas of Buddha and Laou- 
tsze and the teachings of Confucius may, as far as the 
masses are concerned, be treated as the foundations of a 
common faith. 

Confucius was born about 551 B. C. There is not space 
for a general account, of his doctrines, and, therefore, a 
few particulars in regard to him and his teachings must 
suffice for our purpose. 

He was the son of a statesman, and chief minister in 
his native kingdom — one of the many into which China 
was then divided. Despising the amusements and gaye- 
ties common to those of his age, he devoted himself to 
study and reflection in moral and political science ; but he 
investigated none of the branches of natural science, nor 
did he interfere with the common superstitions of the 
country. .His doctrines, therefore, form a. code of moral 
and political philosophy, and his followers are philoso- 
phers more than religious sectarians. He endeavored to 
correct the corruptions which had crept into the state, and 
to restore the maxims of the ancient kings, who are cele- 
brated in traditional history. 

Unswayed by personal ambition, he promulgated his 
doctrines with a singleness of purpose that, even in con- 
servative China, gained him. respect and a multitude of 
followers; and, after being employed in high office of 
state, he retired in the company of his chosen disciples to 
study philosophy, and to compile those collections of 



Religions and Superstitions. 119 

philosophical maxims which have now become the sacred 
books of China. Nor can it be denied that, though erron- 
eous in some respects, they deserve much of the honor 
that has been paid to them. 

''Treat others according to the treatment which they 
themselves would desire at their hands" and ''guard thy 
secret thoughts" were among his favorite maxims. 

Filial affection he taught, and even enjoined it to such 
an extent that he ordered that the slayer of a father should 
be put to death by the son ; that "he should not live under 
the same heaven" were the words in which he urged this 
application of lex talionis. 

He was modest in his demeanor, though this virtue has 
not descended with his doctrines to his modern disciples, 
who are self-sufficient and overbearing to all who do not 
profess the state religion of China, as Confucianism really 
is. 

After completing his last work, which was a history of 
the times in which he lived, the great sage died at the age 
of seventy-three, much regretted by the rulers of the 
states whose government and morals he had mainly con- 
tributed to elevate. Time has but added to the reputation 
he left behind him ; and he is now, at .the distance of more 
than 2,000 years, held in universal veneration throughout 
China by persons of all sects and persuasions, with shrines 
and temples erected to his worship. 

Of course, various prodigies are related as having oc- 
curred at his birth ; and, not content with knowing that his 
intellect was more than his contemporaries, his followers 
maintain that his stature overtopped all the men of that 
period also. We need not follow them into these by- 
paths of hero worship. It is enough for us to know that, 
though he inculcated great morality, he was like many 
others in similar circumstances — an indifferent observer 
of the common precepts which ought to govern men's 



I20 Religions and Superstitions/ 

actions. Among other breaches of good manners, it is 
related that without any sufficient reason even for a 
philosopher, he divorced his wife, and his sons and grand- 
sons followed his example sO' far as to divorce theirs also. 

Nevertheless, if for nothing else than the extraordinary 
influence that he has created in Chinese life and modes 
of thought, Confucius must incontestably be looked upon 
as a very great man. 

Though only a single grandson survived him, yet the 
succession has been continued up to the present time, 
through upwards of eighty generations, in the very dis- 
trict where their great ancestors lived. We have spoken 
of. the hereditary honors by which his family are to this 
day distinguished. In every city, down to those of the 
third order, is a temple dedicated to him; and the em- 
peror and all the learned men delight in doing him honor. 
Whoever a Chinese may sneer at, whatever he may be 
skeptical about, he takes^good care to honor Confucius, 
and to respect his doctrines, and his opinions, being merely 
those of a philosopher, do not come into violent contact 
with any religious system, and have, therefore, a better 
chance to live than if they formed the basis of a theo- 
logical sect. 

His works and the comments on them by his disciples 
fill many volumes, and are studied by all the educated 
classes of China, who, indeed, profess them as a kind of 
secondary religion. 

The temples dedicated to Confucius are solemn and 
funereal in character, and, though his image is not cm- 
ployed as an idol, sacrifices of oxen and sheep are made to 
him, and his tablet is worshipped. 

Mr. Chester Holcomb, in "The Real Chinaman," gives 
the followiiTg interesting account of a religious celebra- 
tion by the emperor: 

"The most elaborate and interesting of all religious 



Religions and Superstitions. 12 1 

structures in China is the Temple of Heaven in Pekin. It 
has twO' high altars, the one covered and the other open. 
The most gorgeous and impressive ceremonial in the em- 
pire is that which takes place w^hen the emperor, as son 
and sole high-priest of Heaven, goes there tv/ice each 
year to worship. In his service he has neither assistant 
nor substitute. He prepares himself for this solemn duty 
by a period of retirement and fasting in a hall within the 
enclosure specially devoted to that purpose. Without 
going into the details of the rite, it may be said in pass- 
ing that it bears a most striking resemblance, both in its 
general features and detail, to the Mosaic ritual found in 
the Bible. One feature, however, is peculiar. Ranged 
in a circle about each altar are large iron crates, shaped 
like enormous baskets. In these are deposited, at the 
time of the winter sacrifice, slips of paper, each bearing 
the name, crime and other details of some Chinese of- 
fender whose life has been taken during the previous 
year for offenses against the laws. In this way the em- 
peror makes report to Heaven of the administration of 
affairs so far as it has involved the death penalty. 

"One peculiar feature of worship at this imperial struc- 
ture is worthy of nottce. Though men and women alike 
throughout the empire worship Heaven and Earth, no 
place is allowed to females in the grand pageant and 
solemn ceremonial referred to above. Not only are they 
excluded from all participation in it, but their presence 
on any part of the grounds at any time is held to be a 
pollution of the sanctuary. If one of the native guards of 
the temple should even carry a female infant in his arms 
into the beautiful park which surrounds and forms the 
outer inclosure to it, he would be most severely 
punished." 

When General Grant visited Pekin in 1871, this temple 



122 Religions and Superstitions. 

was officially opened for his inspection. This was the 
first time in its history that such a thing was ever done. 

Besides these three religions there is, in addition, a 
state ritual worship which regards the emperor and court 
alone. It is a kind of philosophical pantheism., an adora- 
tion of certain natural objects, but is a mere ceremonial, 
and is associated with no theological doctrines. Three 
classes of objects are distinguished, to which the great 
medium and lesser sacrifices are offered. The first in- 
cludes the heaven and the earth. Equal to these, and 
likewise restricted to the worship of the emperor, is the 
Great Temple of Imperial Ancestors. The medium sac- 
rifices are offered to the sun and moon, the gods of the 
land and grain, genii and sages. In the third class are 
reckoned certain natural phenomena, as well as deceased 
statesmen and scholars. 

The emperor appears to acknowledge a Supreme Being 
as king of kings, the rewarder of virtue and the punisher 
of vice; but still Chinese philosophy, as fixed by Chu- 
tze, is authentical, and deduces **the development of the 
universe from one unintelligent and evilless principle.'' 
Hence, all educated Chinese are atheists^ at least theo- 
retically, as will be found by arguing with them; but 
when they speak of human affairs generally, and their 
own particular lot in life, they exhibit a behef in Tien as a 
supreme, intelligent and rewarding power. 

The Tae-pings, who a few years ago almost desolated 
China by an armed rebellion, and had it not been for the 
aid of the French and English, would have swept the 
present dynasty from the throne, attempted another revo- 
lution in religious opinion. Their creed was simply a 
corrupted Christianity, or Christianized Sinetic Judaism; 
and no doubt still the sect of God-worshippers, as they 
called themselves, has many followers who in secret are 



Religions and Superstitions. 123 

attached to their doctrines, and who may yet be the nu- 
cleus of a further overthrow of the rehgion of China. 

There are millions of Mohammedans in the northern 
and northwestern provinces. They have twenty- four Mo- 
hammedan mosques in Pekin alone, and the Chinese do 
not trouble them. 

There is also in the very centre of China a single vil* 
lage of Jews who have preserved, without molestation, 
their ancient ritual. 

China is honeycombed with superstitions of all kinds 
and descriptions. 

'They play an important part in the daily life of every 
Chinese, control his plans, whether of business or pleas- 
ure, further or thwart his wishes, affect the value of his 
property, determine whom and when he shall marry, inter- 
fere with his relations to his children, sometimes shorten 
his existence, and always regulate the time, place and 
manner of his burial. They pervade all classes, from the 
highest to the lowest, influence every act of life, control 
the reasoning faculties, and make mischief with logic. 
They are not merely potent in the domestic affairs oi pri- 
vate individuals ; grave questions of State, affecting the 
prosperity, if not the very existence of the empire, have in 
many an instance been decided by them." 

Nearly all of the Chinese are fatalists, believers in in- 
evitable destiny. These take no precautions against 
fire, even in towns built of wooden houses, and made up 
of narrow streets ; if the houses are to be burned, they say, 
they will be ; if--not, what is the use of taking any care to 
prevent what will never happen. The government has, 
however, established fire brigades, and punishes arson and 
even carelessness with extreme severity. 

They have great confidence in fortune tellers and "wise 
people," who, like their fraternity all over the world, 
promise good in an exact ratio to the amount of money 



124 Religions and Superstitions. 

they get ; and as *'male progeny, official employment and 
long life" are the three greatest blessings a Chinese can 
possibly desire, these in varying degrees are the good for- 
tunes promised to the clairvoyant's dupes. 

Charms, talismans and such like are hung up in every 
house, and are firmly trusted in, especially by the Taou- 
ists, who are more superstitious than the -rest of their 
countrymen. 

They dread the wandering ghosts or spirits of people 
who come to a bad end. When the Europeans first came 
to China, mothers pointed them out as high-nosed, fair- 
haired demons who had wandered far from home. Hence 
the terms yet applied, though not with the same signifi!- 
cance as before, ''foreign devil," ''spirit" or "ghost." 

"Demoniacal possession" is related of many persons, 
the demons having entered into them, and made them play 
furious pranks on those whom they disliked. 

Long life is peculiarly desired by all Chinese; not so 
much from life being with them so happy that they wish 
to prolong it, but mainly owing to the respect paid to old 
age. Accordingly charms to secure longevity are in great 
demand. The greatest of all these is the word show (long 
life), written on a slip of paper by the emperor's own 
hand. Other written spells, consisting of mystical com- 
pounds of various words, in which the twenty-eight 
lunar mansions, the five planets, and other elements of as- 
trology are introduced, are often hung about the house 
to protect it from ill fortune and to secure it good luck. 
Sorpetimes the pajper on which these spells are written is 
burnt and t^e ashes drunk in w^ater or wine, the result 
being a very potent spell indeed. 

Rooks are unlucky birds, which prognosticate misfor- 
tune, such as unpleasant visits from mandarins. A kind 
of white-necked crow is, however, greatly valued by the 



Religions and Superstitions. 125 

Chinese, owing to some essential service it had at one time 
rendered to the Chinese empire. 

Good or ill luck attaches to certain local situations 
or aspects, and accordingly before a house is built or a 
grave selected, geomancers have to be consulted as to the 
suitability of the spot. A fortunate place for the erection 
of a house exercises an influence over all the members of 
a family, but even the fact of a member of it being laid in 
a ''lucky grave" exerts foong-shuey or misfortune over all 
the family. 

The vast majority of the Chinese know nothing what- 
ever of the simplest facts of natural science. They believe 
the earth to be flat and the sun to pass around behind a 
mountain in moving from east to west. They worship 
the spirits, which are supposed to have their abode in and 
be the masters of spinning-wheels, hand-mills, wells, 
stables, tmanure heaps, street gates, and a host of other 
things. There was one man who is said to have wor- 
shipped thus over thirty spirits who were believed to re- 
side in various parts of his three-roomed hovel. 

Occultism and spiritism are rife. 

A writer in the Outlook, in speaking of the ^'Boxers/' 
says that they used this superstitious disposition for the 
furtherance of their own ends. They confidently asserted 
that those initiated properly into the mysteries of this 
cult, and whose *'kung fu" or exercise of its rules was per- 
fect, would by virtue of this practice become invulnerable 
against all bullets or knives. This was not left to test en- 
tirely. It is declared that advanced members of the society 
struck diiterent parts of their bodies with sharp knives 
and swords with no more effect upon the skin than is pro- 
duced by the wind. The members *of the society believe 
implicitly in this invulnerability, and the people at large 
are convinced that the claim is well founded. No difficulty 
is found in explaining the death of society members in 



126 Religions and Superstitions. 

battle. In one instance, in the autumn of 1899, thirty or 
forty miles from Tsi-nan-in, ten or twelve Boxers were 
killed by Catholics whom they had attacked. It v/as then 
discovered that on the evening before or on the morning 
of the battle, these men had broken the rules of the society 
by eating certain proscribed articles of food. In this way 
their death but strengthened the faith of those remaining. 

It was proposed at first to use no fire-arm.s in the ex- 
termination of foreigners, but to trust to the sword alone. 
Great reliance was placed on certain calisthenic exercises 
and posturings, which were expected to hypnotize or ter- 
rorize the enemy. 

To sum up, it may be said that no Chinese, high or low, 
but is under the powerful influence of one or more super- 
stition.^^ 



!^P^ 



CHAPTER VIII. 

MISSIONARY WORK IN CHINA. 

The follov/ing article was written for Ainslee's Maga- 
zine by John Fryer, Professor of Oriental Languages and 
Literature in the University of California, and is incor- 
porated here by permission. It is a very comprehensive 
review of the miissionary situation, giving a history of the 
zealous work which has been carried on in spite of pecu- 
liar and oftentimes disheartening difficulties : 

"A little investigation will show that the missionaries 
who go to Qiina may be divided into the tw^o classes of 
regular and irregular. The regular missionary is gener- 
ally a man of good common sense, sent otit by a well- 
established board, a gentleman and a scholar, whom the 
Chinese quickly learn to respect. He settles down to his 
work, learns the language and the customs of the people, 
and establishes churches, schools, and hospitals which the 
Chinese can appreciate. The irregular missionary is a 
sort of crank — a missionary tramp — with little education, 
but with a vast am.ount of conceit instead. He is sent out 
perhaps by a small Christian denomination or church, and 
is half paid or even self-supporting. He is so profoundly 
impressed with the im.portance of his task that he is abso- 
lutely deaf to considerations of hum.an prudence or poli- 
tical caution. Before he has been long in the country he 
finds himself involved in serious riots or other difficulties, 
and makes a passionate appeal to his consul for protec- 
tion. 

''Many people among us are led to say we should reform 
the millions of ignorant and vicious citizens in our own land 



128 Missionary Work in China. 

before commencing operations on the heathen Chinese. 
The Chinese also will point with scorn to the crowds of 
debauched American and other sailors who get leave to go 
on shore when their ships are in Chinese ports, and run 
in drunken riot among the harmless natives in a manner 
that is disgusting in the extreme. Even the well-to-do 
merchants and other representatives of our Western lands 
when in China too often live anything but moral lives, so 
that the Chinese are led to cry shame upon them. 'Attend 
to your own people first,' they say, 'and when you have 
lifted them up to the standard you preach to us, we will 
gladly listen to your words.' 

"The Chinese officials do not hate the average regular 
missionary as a man, but they dislike his teaching. The 
missionary's pure and upright life as an example for the 
Chinese people is a continual and unmistakable object les- 
son to the officials, making manifest by contrast their own 
cruel, grasping, evil lives. The corrupt official is better 
pleased with the depraved European or American mer- 
chant than he is with the missionary. He feels that the 
merchants and he have much in common^ are 'birds of a 
feather.' In theory, the Chinese classics hold that 
the officials are to be 'like parents to the people.' 
It is therefore their duty to aid and instruct the 
people on all points of morality and doctrine. This 
duty they not only do not perform themselves, but 
they very strenuously object to the sensible, self- 
denying missionary when he comes unasked to per- 
form it for them. The more the 'stupid common people,' 
as they are called, can be kept in ignorance, the more eas- 
ily can they be governed. Hence the attempt of the mis- 
sionary to uplift them is a conspiracy against one of the 
strongholds of officialdom. The misrepresentations of the 
object and the work of missionaries, and the many evil 
things attributed to them, as well as the riots stirred up 



Missionary Work in China, 129 

by the officials, ending in the occasional murder of the 
more aggressive missionaries, are mostly due to-this cause. 

"Much of the difficulty that Christian missionaries have 
experienced in getting access to the hearts of the people 
is doubtless to be attributed to unwise or mistaken meth- 
ods in the early days of the missions. On the one hand, 
converts were spoiled because too much was done for 
them. They were made to feel entirely dependent. 
Well-furnished churches and chapels were given to them, 
high salaries were paid to their native pastors. Besides 
an excellent free education and board and lodging for 
their children were provided in the mission schools. On 
the other hand, the evangelistic teachings of the mission- 
aries were antagonistic and destructive, not recognizing 
in any way the many good features in the religious beliefs 
and practices of the Chinese. Even now many Christians 
try to exterminate every vestige of the time-honored 
teachings and practice^ of Confucius, Laou-tsze and Bud- 
dha, cutting them Sway root and branch, to make w^ay for 
the proper planting of Christianity. 

''Now, these good missionaries overlook the fact that 
Christianity does not go to China to destroy the existing 
religions ; but as Christ came to fulfill the desire of the 
Jewish prohpets, so Christianity seeks the fulfillment of all 
the better aspirations of the Chinese sages and religious 
teachers. To regard any of these Oriental religious sys- 
tems as wholly false is now coming to be considered as a 
mistake of the past. As we grow into juster views and 
discriminations, we are beginning to see that, all the great 
historic religions of the world are only the products of 
seeking after God. As the same sun shone on China that 
shone on Judea, so. it was the same Spirit of God that 
moved the Chinese prophets and sages to wTite down what 
they believed God had inspired. Are we not told that 
Jesus Christ is the true light that lighteth every man 



130 Missionary Work in China. 

that cometh into the world,' and that 'in every nation he 
that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted 
of him?' The Jews erroneously supposed they had the 
monopoly of the Kingdom of God and the Spirit of God. 
Many Christians have imitated them in teaching that the 
Spirit of God can exist only in the Christian church. To 
suppose that the Chinese worthies were in any manner led 
by the same Spirit would be considered as rank blas- 
phemy. This has been the tendency of many mission- 
aries. They have not seen that all truth is divine, whether 
inside or outside of the Christian church. 

''All that is good in the ethics of Confucius with regard 
to benevolence, righteousness, true religion, knowledge, 
filial piety, and integrity of character are parts of Chris- 
tianity. Some of the purest utterances of Taoism and 
Buddhism are also parts of Christianity. History re- 
cords noble and Christ-like deeds performed by the fol- 
low^ers of these religions. Should not the missionary 
therefore recognize and acknowledge all that is good 
among the Chinese beliefs and religious practices? 
Should he not make of them a foundation upon which the 
higher precepts of the Gospel of Christ should stand? 
Should he not remember that in God's great plan for the 
education of the world the different nations are not all 
in the same class ? There are nations in the kindergarten 
stage that believe theirs is the best system ; but the more 
advanced classes want something better ; while the higher 
students have still greater wants and higher ideals which 
must be satisfied. Is not the sacred literature of each na- 
tion like a mirror which reflects with more or less clear- 
ness the mind of God in proportion to its own purity and 
perfection? We have, therefore, to shift our standpoint 
from that of having the monopoly of truth to that of only 
possessing higher privileges than our Chinese brethren. 
With these privileges comes a higher responsibility, and a 



Missionary Work in China. 131 

tender concern for those who are in the more elementary 
stages of learning. Is it not in this spirit that the Chinese 
must be approached and asked to give up in their relig- 
ious practices or beliefs what can be shown conclusively 
to be erroneous or inconsistent with the higher light and 
claims of Christianity? 

''Missionaries acknowledge that they have met with 
many a heathen Chinaman whose whole life of kindness, 
honesty, industry and self-denial would do credit to the 
most exemplary Christian. Is it not possible to say that 
such Chinamen are very near the Kingdom of Heaven, if 
not already in it? Even here in California, compare the 
sober, hard-working Chinese shopkeeper, laundryman, 
vegetable man or domestic servant w^ith the average white 
man of the same class. Is not the comparison in many 
cases in favor of the heathen Chinaman? To preach 'hell- 
fire and brimstone' to such a race of people and to extend 
it to their ancestors and friends^ as some unwise mission- 
aries in China have done, is only to stir up needless ani- 
mosity among the better and the thinking part of the na- 
tion. It is to close up the avenues to hearts that other- 
wise might easily have opened to receive the higher bless- 
ings of Christianity. Fortunately, the Protestant mis- 
sionaries who preach and insist on such extreme doctrines 
are now few and far between. It is to be hoped they will 
soon disappear entirely. 

''At present there are nearly a thousand American mis- 
sionaries in China, representing the different Protestant 
churches of the United States. They follow actively their 
various branches of the work in the different provinces of 
the empire. Many of them, in intellectual and spiritual 
gifts, are far above the average of our home-workers. In 
their doings with the natives they prove to be influenced 
by the highest principles of good-will and humanity as 



132 Missionary Work in China. 

well as by Christian charity. They are men and women 
of whom America may well feel proud. '*' 

''The home of the missionary is a centre of light for all 
the surrounding districts. The children of the mission 
schools and colleges see the home life of the missionary 
families, learn the meaning of the Stars and Stripes on the 
national flag, tmderstand their feeling of patriotism in 
its highest sense, and delight to learn the history of the 
country that has sent them so much help from purely 
philanthropic motives. It is the spirit of patriotism that 
the Chinese need next to the spirit of Christianity ; and it 
is the American missionary who is eminently qualified to 
teach it to chem even in the face of the corrupt govern- 
ment of China. 

*'Some who criticise the labor of missionaries depend 
only upon bare statistics. They reckon up the number of 
mission stations and church members with the number of 
years of work and take these as the measure of useful- 
ness. Such people do not realize the dififi'culties of the 
situation, which make the results beyond the reach of 
arithmetical computation. The religious beliefs, the cus- 
toms and prejudices of the Chinese are entrenched behind 
centuries upon centuries of superstition. It must be re- 
membered that China is the most ancient empire in the 
world. Before the Jews became a nation, say twenty- 
five centuries before Christ, China's civilization had al- 
ready reached a high standard. Her wealthy inhabitants 
wore silks and satins while the Israelites were in Egypt, 
and long centuries before Greece and Rome were thought' 
of. Her ethics, her law^s and administration of govern- 
ment have come down, almost unchanged through all those 
thousands of years. As far back as history goes the 
Chinese were governed by almost the same form of pa- 
ternal or patriarchal government that has stood unshaken 
amid the rise and fall of Western empires, and is still as 



Missionary Work in China. 133 

influential in its strength and vigor. It is this antiquity 
which the Chinese fall back upon with so much pride that 
stands in the w^ay of their accepting anything so modern 
as Christianity. 

*'But in the consideration of the difficulties the mission- 
ary has to encounter, there is not only the antiquity, but 
also the enormous size of the nation and the extent of 
country. Out of a total of 5,000,000 square miles, the 
eighteen provinces, or China proper, contain 1,500,000 of 
square miles. In the middle of China is one of the great- 
est and most densely populated plains in the world, 
through which flow the Yellow River and the Yang-tsze. 
This one plain supports a population of 175,000,000, or 
nearly three times as many people as inhabit the United 
States. The Emperor of China rules over one-tenth of 
the surface of the habitable globe, and nearly half of the 
population of our planet. Both the land and the people 
are not only immense and overwhelming, but strange, 
unique and w^ithout analogy. The methods used for 
preaching the Gospel in our own lands or among uncivil- 
ized races have to be modified greatly, if not entirely 
changed, when applied to the civilization of China. The 
mass to be moved is enormous, and the power applied 
must be great in proportion. 

"Added to this difficulty of the size of the nation there is 
the complexity of the language. The old saying that 'thje 
devil invented the Chinese characters to keep Christianity 
out of China,' appears to have some show of reason when 
w^e find that in place of a Chinese alphabet there are tens 
of thousands of formidable hieroglyphics or pictorial 
characters, and that each constitutes a separate mono- 
syllabic w^ord. Furthermore, this written language is to 
be seen and not heard, to be read and not spoken. Then 
there is the official, or court language, used in the northern 
and central provinces, with hundreds of diflferent dialects 



134 Missionary Work in China. 

spoken south of the Yang-tsze. The missionary there has 
therefore to learn the local dialect, the court language, and 
the written or classical language, before he can preach, 
read the translations of the Scriptures, and carry on oral 
and written intercourse with all the different classes of 
natives he meets. This alone is the work almost of a life- 
time. 

*'But when the missionary has overcome these diffi- 
culties, which few succeed in doing beyond a certain limit- 
ed extent, his task is only just begun. He has to learn all 
that the ordinary Chinese know from their classical and 
other books and teachers, in order to meet them on their 
own ground. Then he must begin to attack the senti- 
ments the Chinaman holds most dear, and which are hal- 
lowed by the earliest associations and parental love. 
These ancestral teachings and examples, with his methods 
of religious worship, are deeply imbedded in his inmost 
heart. Yet the missionary has to ask him to give up many 
or most of them, and accept untried foreign dogmas and 
methods in their place. Is it any wonder that the con- 
servative principle in Chinese human nature rebels, and 
that the Chinaman naturally is opposed to all missionary 
propagandism ? It is almost impossible to realize the im- 
mense sacrifice a Chinese, even of the lower class, has to 
make when, in the face of the opposition and the con- 
tempt of his 'family, his kinsmen, his whole clan and his 
friends, he determines to become a sincere Christian and 
to follow the teachings of uncouth-looking strangers from 
far-off lands who are popularly known as 'foreign 
devils !' 

"Another serious difficulty the missionary has to con- 
tend with is the complicated form of the religion of the 
Chinese. Instead of one system of doctrines and teach- 
ings, there are three great and separate religions, dwelling 
side by side, and with little, if any, friction or want of 



Missionary Work in China. 135 

harmony. Although radically different in their origin, 
characteristics and general aims, each seems to be a com- 
plement of the other. A Chinaman may select and follow 
as much of all three as he pleases, without being incon- 
sistent. The missionary has therefore to study all three 
religions in their history, doctrines and practical influence 
upon the heart and every-day life of the people, before he 
can hope to meet them on their own ground and answer 
all their objections to Christianity. He has three sepa- 
rate citadels to attack instead of one. 

''The writings of Confucius are the source whence the 
officials and literati derive their theories of government 
and social duties. The ethics of Confucius pervade and 
influence every phase of Chinese life. The doctrines 
taught by their 'most holy sage' are cited as the infallible 
criterion of uprightness and integrity in public and private 
life, and were disseminated several centuries before the 
coming of Christ. They were not original with Con- 
fucius, but rather the teachings of the ancient kings and 
sages, who flourished in the far-off Golden Agt of China, 
when the evils of bad government were unknown, and 
when the Chinese seem to have recognized and wor- 
shipped the true God. Confucius confessed to be only a 
reformer, a transmitter, and not the author of a new re- 
ligion. But it is almost impossible to estimate the enor- 
mous hold this system with its time-honored classics now 
has upon the educated and thinking men of China. Its 
teachings are of a high mofal order, yet they are as much 
disregarded in every-day affairs as Christ's teachings are 
disregarded among ourselves. The Chinese know what is 
right, but fail utterly to practice it. 

''Then there is Taoism, the second form of religious 
faith and practice, originating with the philosopher Laou- 
tsze in the century when the Jews returned from Babylon. 
Its ancient classic, *the Tao-teh-king, comes nearer to the 



136 Missionary Work in China. 

philosophy of our Old Testament te;achings than any other 
book in the world. Had this system remained in its orig- 
inal purity it would have served as an excellent basis for 
Christianity. Unfortunately the Taoists went astray, 
hunting for the Philosopher's Stone, the elixir of immor- 
tality with other vague conceptions, and then fell into the 
grossest superstitions and demonolatry. The evil in- 
fluences of modern Taoism upon Chinese society are tre- 
mendous, and it is a greater foe to the Christian mission- 
ary than Co-nfucianism. 

"These two great religions, Confucianism and Taoism, 
did not satisfy the longings of the soul of the Chinaman, 
nor did they afford comfort or solace in the many trou- 
bles and sorrows of life. To supply this want Buddhism 
came from India some time before the birth of Christ, but 
it was not till shortly after that event that the Emperor 
Ming-ti had his wonderful dream, and as a result sent 
messengers to India to invite Buddhist teachers. x\fter 
experiencing many vicissitudes, ^Buddhism became firmly 
established. The worship of Amida Buddha with the 
'Goddess of Mercy' became prevalent, while temples and 
monasteries, priests and nuns were soon to be fovmd 
everywhere. The Western Paradise, the Buddhist Hells, 
the transmigration of souls, the vegetarian diet, the doc- 
trines of Karma and Nirvana, and the worship of the 
goddess Kwan-yin, who has power to save and to bestow 
sons upon her votaries, are all so firmly engrafted on the 
ordinary Chinese mind that it seems impossible that they 
should be modified, much less effaced by the teachings of 
Christianity. Yet the missionary is expected to go for- 
ward boldly to attack this giant also, in the name of the 
Lord, and armed only with his sling and his stone ! 

''As if all these difficulties were not sufficient, Buddhism 
had hardly settled down harmoniously with its two sister 
religions, when Mohammedanism entered the empire 



Missionary Work in China. 137 

pushing its way into imperial notice with great effect, and 
contesting with its monotheistic doctrine against the cor- 
rupt rehgious practices that had grown up in the other 
three reHgions. It came to stay in spite of numberless 
persecutions and rebellions in which millions of Moham- 
medans have been put to death. Most of the Moslem 
Chinese now occupy a very strong position in the whole of 
Northwest China. Others are scattered over the face of 
the empire, many of them being rich and enjoying official 
positions. Although opposed to the main features of 
Christianity, the Mohammedan faith is not entirely with- 
out its advantages to the work of the Christian missionary. 
The denunciation of all idolatry, the worship of the true 
God, the observance of the Mohammedan Sabbath, and 
the teaching of certain theological terms are all aids to 
Christian preaching. On the whole, however, most mis- 
sionaries who have come in contact with Mohammedans, 
would much rather work in places where they are not to be 
found. 

'Terhaps the greatest difficulty of all is ancestral wor- 
ship, which may be called the national religion, and which 
will die the hardest. Space, however, will not permit of 
further remarks on the many obstacles that the Christian 
missionary has to overcome. Neither is it possible to en- 
ter upon the difficulties arising from a climate and soil to 
which the American physical constitution is unsuited. A 
great many missionaries break down after a few months', 
or a year's trial at the longest. Also the deadening effect 
upon the spiritual and intellectual faculties produced by 
long residence among the heathen Chinese militates 
against the success of the missionary, making it hard for 
him to be, as the Apostle says, 'Instant in season and out 
of season.' 

''A brief view of the work the Christian church in all its 
branches has already done toward the conversion and 



138 Missionary Work in China, 

evangelization of China may not prove unprofitable. Tra- 
dition says that St. Thomas first brought the Christian 
faith to the Chinese. At any rate, as early as the authors 
in the third century do we read of missionary endeavors 
by the Christian churches in the direction of China, and of 
their partial success. The first Christian movement of 
which we possess certain and full evidence was that of the 
Nestorian Church. Driven out'of the Roman empire for 
heresy on a small doctrinal point, the Nestorians settled in 
Western Asia. Thence they sent missionaries who pene- 
trated Qiina, and made a settlement under the imperial 
patronage. Their leader was Olopun, who arrived in the 
year 635. The Emperor Tai-Tsung received him gra- 
ciously at the capital, and becoming deeply impressed with 
the excellent features of his preaching, gave special or- 
ders for the dissemination of the Nestorian doctrines. A 
monastery was built to accommodate twenty-one priests, 
while a hundred cities had regular Nestorian worship in 
their churches. The Bible was translated into Chinese. 
But persecutions eventually arose, and the followers of 
Nestor, while suffering much, maintained a precarious 
footing in China during the time of the Yuan dynasty, al- 
though cut off from all help and intercourse from the 
mother church. A large stone tablet is all that remains to 
testify to their work in China for nearly 150 years. This 
tablet lay buried under the ground for several centuries. 
It was discovered by accident and shown to the Jesuit 
missionaries, who at once recognized its value as a most 
important historical monument. Rubbings from this 
stone containing inscriptions in Syriac as well as in 
Chinese, and giving a summary of the chief doctrines 
taught with a historical sketch of the Nestorian work in 
China are much prized, even by the Chinese lovers of an- 
tiquities who are not in sympathy with Christianity. It 
is supposed on good authority that the descendants of the 



Missionary Work in China. 139 

Nestorians still exist in some of the secret sects which 
abound in the north of China. 

*'The failure of the Nestorians did not discourage the 
Roman Catholics from attempting to Christianize China. 
In the 'thirteenth century their missionaries began to enter 
-the countr}^ from the west, and at first were well received. 
The pioneer was John of Montecorveno, who arrived at 
the court of the great Emperor Kublai Khan in the year 
1292. In spite of Nestorian opposition, he had as a result 
of eleven years' labor baptized nearly 6,000 persons, and 
had bought 150 children, whom he instructed in Greek 
and Latin at his headquarters in Pekin. It is said that 
at his death in 1298 he had converted more than 3,000 
people. Subsequently St. Francis Xavier, the St. Paul of 
Roman missionaries, worked most energetically in the 
spread of his religion in China; but death cut short his 
labors prematurely. His successor, Valignani, exclaimed 
in sadnesss as he gazed on the mountains in China, *Oh, 
mighty fortress, when shall these impenetrable gates of 
thine be broken through!' They were at length broken 
by Mateo Ricci, an Italian Jesuit, who, by his learning, 
as well as by his friendly disposition, gradually worked his 
way to the imperial court and found favor with the em- 
peror. Thenceforward his life was nothing but success. 
His literary labors were immense. His colleagues and 
successors were also men of great intellectual caliber, and 
their Chinese converts were numerous. Yet eventually 
their continual quarrels, the commands of the Pope, and 
the jealousies of the different Roman Catholic orders, 
caused the Emperor Yung-Cheng to issue an edict in 
1724 banishing all European priests from the empire, and 
strictly forbidding the propagation of Christianity The 
Roman Catholic influence, however, was kept alive se- 
cretly, and the Converts were wonderfully faithful in pre- 
serving their spiritual fathers, who had to disguise them- 



I40 Missionary Work in China. 

selves to avoid injury. When China was opened in 1842, 
after the first war with Great Britain, 400,000 converts 
were already enrolled in the church, and eighty foreign 
missionaries w^ere found ministering to the scattered 
flocks. Since then the Roman Catholics have more than 
recovered their lost ground in China. Their converts are 
upward of a million in China proper. Imposing cathe- 
drals, church edifices, schools, colleges, orphanages, found- 
ling hospitals and other buildings testify everywhere to 
their activity and prosperity. 

''The Greek Church began its labors in Pekin in the 
year 1685, when a treaty made with Russia allowed the 
establishment of a church and college with an archiman- 
drite in. charge. In recent years this church has been 
w^orking with some earnestness, both in China and Japan. 
In the latter country it has made more converts than either 
Catholics or Protestants have made. In proportion as 
Russian influence increases in Pekin it is expected that 
the Greek Church influence will expand among the 
Chinese. 

*Tt will be noticed that all these Christian missionary 
labors extending over ten or more centuries were to a 
greater or less degree a preparation for the work of our 
Protestant missionaries. Yet their commence;ment of the 
task of spreading evangelistic doctrines nearly ninety 
years ago was much beset with difficulties, some of which 
were the results of the Roman Catholic mismanagement. 
The lives of Robert Morrison and other pioneers of the 
Protestant faith are well known. It is worthy of note that 
Morrison w^as refused a passage to China in the East In- 
dia Company's vessels, and had therefore first to make a 
voyage to New York. Thence he sailed to China on an 
American ship. He was nine months in reaching Macao, 
and there this devoted man— this first Anglo-Saxon mis- 
sionary — began his highly successful lifework. 



Missionary Work in China. 141 

**What has been subsequently accomplished is told in 
the reports of the various missionary societies now work- 
ing in China. The work is well organized and the coun- 
try divided up among the various bodrds. The Evan- 
gelist, the Educationist and the Medical missionary each 
finds his suitable sphere of labor in ministering to the 
various needs of the people with whom each comes in con- 
tact. Thus each department of the work is now receiv- 
ing its full share of attention. 

'The present distressed and unsettled state of China 
makes the people look for help and enlightenment to the 
missionaries in a way they have never done before. 
Fifty-three separate organizations are at work, having a 
total of about 2,500 missionaries, besides whom are over 
5,000 native pastors and assistants. The Protestant con- 
verts now number nearly 100,000, while nearly 40,000 
scholars are under instruction in mission schools and col- 
leges. Auxiliary societies are continually being added, 
such as Bible Societies, Tract Societies, Educational So- 
cieties, Mission Printing Offices, Young Men's and Young 
Women's Christian Asst)ciations, Christian Endeavor So- 
cieties, and others, all of which are vigorously pushing 
forward on their special lines the great cause whose 
watchword is, 'The Christianization of China.' 

"All these facts and figures are full of encouragement 
and hope. The mission hospitals, however, appear to im- 
press the Chinese most with the disinterestedness and ef- 
ficiency of missionary work. It is said that Li Hung 
Chang once remarked, 'We Chinese think we can take care 
of our souls well enough; but it is evident you can take 
care of our bodies better than we can ; so send us medical 
missionaries, as many as you like.' This sentiment is now 
shared generally by all intelligent Chinese. They may not 
understand our religious systems, but on seeing the re- 
sults of the medical work, they cannot fail to admire the 



142 Missionary Work in China. 

philanthropy which establishes dispensaries and hospitals 
to do good to the bodies of suffering humanity, in the 
name and imitation of Christ. 

''In the three branches of Religion, Education and 
Medicine, who can deny that the Christian missionaries 
have not already conferred benefits upon the Chinese be- 
yond all calculation? But they have done more. They 
have helped to awaken China from her lethargy, and to 
start her stagnant ideas into motion. Our civil engineers 
are surveying the vast territory of China for projected 
railways; but they are being aided by information fur- 
nished by the pioneer missionaries. Our merchants are 
closely following the missionary routes to open up lucra- 
tive trade. The flag of commerce always follows close 
behind the banner of the cross, and he who would check 
the progress of the bearer of that banner necessarily in- 
jures the interests of the flag of commerce. From the 
emperor downward the tocsin begins to be ^reform,' and 
when reform really occurs, will not much of the credit 
belong to the faithful laborers now at work in the various 
branches of missionary enterprise?*' 



CHAPTER IX. 

THE WOMEN OF CHINA. 

The influence of woman in China is much greater than 
is commonly supposed. The records of the Flowery 
Kingdom are full of examples of women famous for their 
learning, heroism and high principles, but these are all 
among the higher classes. With the lower classes women 
hold a very inferior position and are little better ttian 
slaves. 

Sometimes, however, women achieve absolute power 
over the household, for there is a popular saying, "She eats 
rice with her husband,'' which is used to describe the rule 
of the female tyrant. The most wonderful instance of 
feminine power to-day is, of course, the career of the 
Empress Dowager. As an instance of her power, it may 
be recalled that she deposed her strongest vizier, Prince 
Kung, in 1885, by a mere decree in the Pekin Gazette, be- 
cause he overrated his importance. 

Nevertheless, woman's lot in China, as we shall see 
presently, is not an enviable one. 

The Chinese women are, as a rule, short in stature. 
Many of them would be pretty, were it not for the daub- 
ing of their faces with paint. 

The hair of the women is not shaven, but additions are 
made to it, and it is skillfully dressed until it projects be- 
hind in a shape like an old-fashioned teapot. Mr. Flem- 
ing, in describing the hair-dress of the women of North- 
ern China, speaks of it as being dressed and gummed in 
the form of an ingot of Lycee silver, which is something 
in shape like a cream jug, or an oval cup, wide at the top 



144 ^^^ Women of China. 

and narrow at the bottom, with a piece scooped out of the 
edge at both sides, and with bright colored flowers fast- 
ened by or stuck about with skewers or pins that stand out 
hke porcupine quills. Though their necks be ever so 
dirty, and their faces not much better, yet the hair must 
be as exquisitely trimmed and plastered, according to the 
local rage, as a wax model in a hairdresser's window. 

The small feet of the Chinese are one of their ideas of 
beauty, familiar to every one who has heard anything of 
the race. It is, however, only the Chinese ladies who 
adopt this method of improving upon nature. Most of 
the poorest women and the Tartar women do not adopt 
it, so that it must be a custom prior to the Tartan in- 
vasion. It is said, indeed, to date from about the be- 
ginning of the ninth century. 

It is produced in early childhood by cramping the feet 
artificially by means of bandages; and though it renders 
those thus mutilated incapable of walking, except by hold- 
ing on to walls, or by very skillfully tottering along, it is 
looked upon as being exceedingly ''genteel,'' probably 
from the idea of its being associated, like the correspond- 
ing case of long nails, with exemption from labor. The 
Chinese poets talk of such deformed feet as ''golden lilies,'' 
and the rocking of the women in attempting to walk as the 
''waving of a willow." The muscles of the leg, from not 
being in use, dwindle away, so that the space from the 
ankle to the knee is not so thick as the wrist. 

Women who have not this deformity of the feet will 
walk as if they had it, and a woman will sometimes hobble 
along the street in a manner intended to deceive the ob- 
servers into believing that the fashionable foot is hers 
also. 

The costume of the women differs but little from the 
men, and their shoes, as might be expected from the above, 
are the most remarkable part of their toilet. A ladies' 



The Women of China. 145 

shoe measures about three and a half inches from the toe 
to the heel. 

A female child is not received into the world with joy, 
and, as a rule, gets very little education. Some of the 
women of the higher classes, however, are taught to paint 
on silk, to embroider, and to acquire some skill in music, 
and though cases of learned ladies are not unknown, they 
are not, as a rule, studiously inclined. 

At twelve she is banished from all companionship to 
become "the young girl who sits in the house," until her 
marriage. 

The better class of women are modest in their de- 
meanor. To such an extent is this carried that it is ac- 
counted indecorous in a lady to show her hands, and ac- 
cordingly they are covered with long sleeves. When they 
have been shown pictures of the very decollete dress worn 
by fashionable Europeans, they have very naturally ex- 
pressed themselves much shocked at their immodest and 
even indecent costumes. 

In China, marriage is universal, and within the reach 
of all. Marriage is predestined, the Chinese believe, and 
early marriages are greatly encouraged. 

The Chinese, as has been stated elsewhere, look upon 
the possession of children, especially of sons, as the chief 
blessing of life, and consequently as soon as a young man 
comes of age, his parents look about to find him' a help- 
mate. The would-be bridegroom has very little to say in 
the matter. 

"The preliminaries are entirely arranged by a profes- 
sional 'go-between,' or 'matchmaker,' who makes it her 
duty to acquaint herself with all the marriageable young 
people of both sexes in the neighborhood. When em- 
ployed by the bridegroom's friends, she calls on the par- 
ents of some young ladies she considers would make a 
suitable wife for the future bridegroom, armed with a 



146 The Women of China. 

card, on which are inscribed the ancestral name, and the 
eight symbols which denote the year, month, day and hour 
of the birth of the suitor. Should the lady's parents be 
inclined to accept the proposal, they consult a fortune 
teller as to the future prospects of such a union. If the 
answer is favorable, a return card is given to the go-be- 
tween, and this in turn is submitted to the scrutiny of a 
fortune teller employed by the man's parents. Should the 
oracles prophesy good concerning the match, the bride- 
groom prepares tw^o large cards on which are written the 
particulars of the engagement ; and on the outer side of the 
one which he keeps is pasted a paper dragon, and on the 
one w^hich is sent to the lady, a phoenix — emblems of con- 
jugal fidelity." 

Among other things, the wTiter from w^hom we have 
just quoted, says that, after the cards have been ex- 
changed, presents of more or less value, according to the 
wealth of the contracting parties, pass betw^een the two 
households and at last, when the happy day has arrived, 
the bride, surrounded by her friends, starts out from her 
father's house in a sedan chair for her future home. 
Half-way between the tw^o houses she is met by a party 
of the bridegroom's followers, who escort her the rest of 
the way. 

Oh alighting from the sedan chair, she is led, with her 
head covered, into the room where her future husband 
Vvaits her. 

As a rule, they have never seen or spoken to each other. 

Without exchanging a w^ord, they sit dowm side by side, 
and each tries to sit on a part of the dress of the other, it 
being considered that the one who succeeds in doing so 
will rule in the household. After this silent trial of skill, 
they adjourn to the reception hall, where stands the family 
altar, and there they w^orship Heaven and Earth and their 
ancestors. This done, they drink a glass of wine to- 



^he Women of China* 147 

gether, when, for the first time the bridegroom is allowed 
to see the face of his bride. Here the marriage ceremony 
ends, and the guests give themselves up to feasting and 
rejoicing. 

Invariably the young couple live with the bridegroom's 
parents, and the wife loses all connection with her own 
home and family. The lot of a young married woman is 
by 10) means enviable. In her new home she is nothing 
but an under servant. She must obey her husband and 
her mother-in-law^ ; she may not come into contact with 
men of the outer world, but she may, however, receive 
ladies and return their calls. The patriarchal system is 
so universal that the father is a despotic ruler over his 
family, and a married wom.an becomes so entirely a part 
of her husband's family that she has to yield obedience to 
her husband's parents, who frequently treat her more as a 
slave than a daughter-in-law. 

The doctrine inculcated in the Chinese classics is that a 
woman has three stages of obedience, first, to her father ; 
second, to her husband ; and third, if her husband dies, to 
her son when he reaches manhood. 

There is an old proverb which runs: **Men wish their 
boys to be like wolves, and fear lest they should be timid ; 
their girls they wish to be like mice, and fear lest they 
should have the boldness of the tiger." 

The laws established 2,300 years ago are in favor to- 
day, and among them no rules are stricter than those for 
keeping women in bondage. 

Chinese books of instruction for girls consist chiefly of 
exhortations to discharge their duties as daughters, wives, 
mothers and daughters-in-law. The '^Girls' Four Books/' 
to which two famous emperors wrote prefaces, describe 
how the female mind and character must be trained. 
Modesty, gentleness, self-sacrifice, wisdom, respect for el- 



148 The Women of China. 

ders and a virtuous disposition must be a woman's equip- 
ment in life. There is no pressing need for intellectual 
education. 

''There are three great acts of disobedience to parents, 
and to die without progeny is the chief/' says a Chinese 
maxim. 

A Chinese woman's whole end and aim in life is found 
in ^child-bearing. When she becomes a mother, espdiially 
if the child he a son, she is entitled to a considerable 
amount of respect. She is an autocrat with her children, 
and even when they are old men and have children of 
their own, she exacts and receives obedience from them. 

If she dies, her sons are required by law to remain un- 
shaven and wear mourning for one hundred days. Not 
so her husband, however. He would receive only ridicule 
and contempt from his friends if he should put on mourn- 
ing or manifest any sorrow at her loss. 

In a w^ord, as a wife a Chinese woman seems to have 
no influence whatever; but as a mother^ she is 
omnipotent. 

Polygamy is not, as is frequently stated, sanctioned by 
law. But a man is allow^ed to marry as many wives as he 
can support. The first, or real wife, seems, however, to 
take precedence over the others. In the eye of the law, 
the first wife is the man's equal. The ''handmaids," as 
the ''left-handed" wives are called, are, on the contrary, 
bought and looked upon in some respects as domestics. 

If the legitimate wife bears male children, for daugh- 
ters do not count, it is not considered reputable to take a 
handmaid, but if the wife has no sons, then it is ac- 
counted perfectly natural for a man to take a handmaid. 

The children of all are legitimate, and have an equal 
right to the inheritance of the property left by their father. 
This rule is alwavs carried out. For instance : The em- 



The Women of China. 149 

peror usually marries four head wives and has besides 
some seventy-five to a hundred concubines. It is his duty 
to study the characters of all his sons by all his wives and 
concubines, and to select the one best fitted to govern at 
his demise. This not infrequently falls upon the son of 
some favorite concubine. 

No man is allowed to marry any woman with the same 
surname as himself, all people of the same surname being 
considered as related to each other. 

No government official can marry an actress. Not only 
is such a marriage, if contracted, void, but both parties 
are punishable with sixty blows ; though, if the official 
holds the degree of licentiate, this punishment must be 
remitted for one of corresponding severity, but in which 
corporal punishment does not enter. 

A man may divorce his wife for seven different rea- 
sons: I. Barrenness, though this is generally never taken 
as an excuse, as he has his remedy in concubinage. 2. 
Adultery. 3. Disobedience to the husband's parents. 4. 
Talkativeness. 5. Thieving. 6. Ill-temper. 7. Inveterate 
infirmities. 

Any of these, however, may be set aside by three cir- 
cumstances : The wife having mourned for her husbancf s 
parents ; the family having acquired wealth since the mar- 
riage; and the wife being without parents to receive her 
back. 

A man may marry as soon after the death of his wife 
as he sees fit ; but it is in all cases disreputable, and in some 
(as those of a particular rank), illegal, for a widow to 
marry again. Whenever a widow is herself unwilling, 
the law protects her; and should she act by the compul- 
sion of parents or other relatives, these are severely pun- 
ishable. Widows indeed, have a very powerful dissuasive 
against second wedlock in being absolute mistresses of 



ICO The Women of Chma. 

themselves and children so long as they remain in their 
existing condition. 

Lastly, we may mention that a Chinese maxim is, that 
"a married woman can commit no crime ; the responsibility 
rests with her husband." 



CHAPTER X. 

WHAT THE CHINESE EAT. 

The Chinaman in anything appertaining to eating and 
drinking, says Chamber's Journal, to which we are in- 
debted for considerable of the information contained in 
this chapter, is a person of peculiar taste and a born epi- 
cure. 

The delicacy of his palate and his love for the good 
things of this world must not be judged by the mechani- 
cal rice-swallowing of a poor coolie any more than in 
America the capabilities of a good cook can be gauged 
by the food of a cheap restaurant. Even the coolies, shov- 
eling down their throats bowl after bowl of boiled rice, 
show the rudiments, at least, of a palate, as they take a 
dip, after every twenty mouthfuls, into the little bowl of 
curry and chillies which stands as the common property 
of the company. If you stand near and listen to their 
conversation — provided, of course, you understand it — 
you will find that it chiefly consists of a heated discussion 
regarding the quality of the rice on the different estates 
and the flavor peculiar to each crop, and who shall say 
that a man who can detect a variety of flavor in boiled 
rice is not gifted with a delicate taste? 

Except on the occasion of the marriage of one of his 
children, or a birthday, it is unusual for a Chinese gen- 
tleman to give a dinner party at his own house. It is done 
by the middle classes, but in ''society'' the usual method is 
to give it at an hotel or one of the flower boats. 

Unlike their neighbors, the Japanese, they do not squat 
on the floor during meals, but understand the use and 
comfort of chairs. 



152 What the Chinese Eat. 

Most of the dishes of which the dinner consists are 
placed beforehand on the table, which is necessarily large 
and which is not graced by a cloth. 

The meal generally commences with a drink, all round, 
followed by a sort of hors d'oemre, consisting not of 
dainty appetizing morsels, but of fruits and nuts, then 
comes soup ; followed by various stews and messes, as to 
the ingredients of which more hereafter. 

It is particularly noticeable that all the dishes are of a 
decidedly oily flavor, and indeed this appears indispensa- 
ble to the Chinese cook, who, by the way, never serves his 
meat roasted as we know it, but cut up into small pieces, 
and stewed or broiled. 

After each course it is common practice to smoke 
a few whiffs of tobacco from a pipe, to while away the 
interval. 

Like Europeans, the Chinese place especial stress upon 
the ceremony of taking wine with one another ; and it is 
considered as a particular compliment to your neighbor 
should you condescend to take up a morsel with your 
chopsticks and place it in his mouth. 

At the end of the meal, one of the waiters goes round 
with a forbidding-looking napkin, which he dips into a 
bowl of water and hands to each person ^n turn to wipe 
his mouth and hands with ; as may be imagined, the atten- 
tion is not much relished when it comes to the turn of the 
last person at the table. 

A few words as to the wine. It is not made from the 
grape, though this fruit is abufidant in the country, but 
from rice. 

There is first the weak wine or tsewo; but a strong 
spirit called sweechoo, of the strength and taste of Irish 
whisky, is also made from the same grain. 

Water is little used ; tea is the almost universal drink 
of all classes. But tea is not drank in anything like the 



What the Chinese Eat. 153 

manner we are accustomed to. Such additions as milk 
and sugar would be considered abominations, and the tea, 
which the Chinese cooks infuse far more carefully than 
we are in the habit of doing, is drank by itself. Some 
kinds of teas which rarely find their way to foreign mar- 
ket are of a most delicious and delicate flavor, and are 
much sweeter and more syrupy than the ordinary tea as 
we know it. 

The word ^'chopsticks" and Chinamen have been insep- 
arably associated in one's mind from childhood. It is by 
means of these that they eat their food, and so adroitly 
does long practice enable them to do so that their name 
for the chopsticks, a term of foreign invention, is "kwai- 
tsze" or nimble lads. They are two little rods, about ten 
inches in length, of bone, wood, ivory, or even of silver. 
They are both held in the right hand. One is held sta- 
tionary between the tips of the second and third fingers, 
in much the same way as a pen is held, while the other 
works against it by being held lightly between the thumb 
and forefinger, like a pair of pincers. 

The adroitness with which a Chinaman will use these 
chopsticks in picking up pieces of meat, rice, etc., is sim- 
ply marvelous, though foreigners will frequently acquire, 
after a time, considerable skill with what look at first sight 
most inconvenient instruments to pick up food. As has 
been said, all the meat being brought to table ready carved, 
the use of a knife would be perfectly superfluous at a 
Chinese dinner unless it were to separate the pieces of 
meat which might adhere together. Accordingly, in the 
chops^ick case, which hangs from the girdle of all the 
better Chinese, there is generally a long, narrow knife. 
The Chinese gourmands seem to excel in inventing extra- 
ordinary dishes. Though some of these are pleasant to the 
American taste, and in a few cases even delicious/ the 
majority of the dishes are more or less repugnant to anv 



154 What the Chinese Eat 

one who is not used to Chinese fare^ and often so nasty 
that consideration for the feelings of the host is of no 
aA^ail when one is called upon to eat them. 

A taste for the flesh of domestic animals is particularly 
prevalent among the Chinese of all classes. In nearly 
every city in China are to be found restaurants where 
dogs' and cats' flesh is made a special feature in the bill 
of fare. The meat is cut into small pieces over a slow 
fire. It is then fried with water-chestnuts, garlic and 
oil, and those who have tasted it say that it makes a very 
palatable dish. 

A particular species of dog is reared for the table. It 
is a small dog of a greyhound shape, with large tufts of 
hair in front of its ears, but with a muzzle much more 
elongated than in terriers. The skin is almost destitute 
of hair, with the exception of the tufts on the head already 
spoken of, and a large tuft on the tail. It is said that so 
long have these animals been bred for the purpose of 
being eaten that they have an hereditary aversion to butch- 
ers. The flesh of black dogs and cats is preferred to that 
of animals of another color, on account of the greater 
amount of nutriment it is supposed to possess. 

Dog hams are exported from the province of Shan- 
tung, and, at the commencement of summer a ceremony 
called a-chee — consisting of the eating of dog's flesh — is 
observed throughout the empire by all classes. 

Black cats' eyes are considered a special delicacy, and 
at an official dinner a hundred of them were used to make 
one dish. Their appearance in the plate was, as may be 
imagined, the reverse of appetizing. 

The pig is an animal universally reared and eaten. '*A 
scholar does not quit his books, or a poor man his pigs," 
is a Chinese proverb. 

In several towns in the Yang-tsze valley, the flesh of 
mules and horses is much eaten; and rats, which, by the 



What the Chinese Eat. 155 

way, are very clean feeding animals naturally, are a favor- 
ite and common article of food. They are to be found 
hanging outside shops in a salted and dried state. 

By the way, large quantities of salted provisions are 
used; hence the government duty on salt is one of the 
most lucrative sources of inland revenue. 

Amongst other curious articles of food are preserved 
eggs. Boiled eggs, as we know them, are never eaten, 
but, in their preserved state are a very favorite article of 
diet. The eggs are first washed, and steeped' for an hour 
in water which has been rendered aromatic. They are 
then taken out, and the water is used for a paste of salt 
and lime. This paste is then turned into a tub and the 
eggs buried in it, after which it is hermetically sealed and 
kept so for at least a month. Often, however, eggs are 
kept for years in this state, and when very old are consid- 
ered a great delicacy. The eggs w^hen very old are quite 
black, and, to an American palate, almost tasteless and 
quite odorless. 

Ducks, fowls and geese are much eaten by the Chinese. 
The eggs are hatched, generally in large incubators, of a 
primitive though practical description ; and are sold in 
markets set apart especially for that purpose. In the case 
of ducks, every part is eaten or preserved, and indeed this 
absence of wastefulness is a peculiarity of Chinese cook- 
ing. The fov/ls are carefully dieted and nursed from their 
birth, and much pains is taken to keep the diflferent breeds 
true and distinct. 

Fish of all descriptions are appreciated in China. Oys- 
ters are never eaten raw, but fried, as the Chinese maintain 
it is bad for the body to chill it with cold food. All fish, 
both sea and river, are sold and cut up alive by the sales- 
men, who carry them through the streets in two large 
tubs, strung one at each end of a bamboo. 

One of the most remarkable of Chinese dishes consists 



156 What the Chinese Eat. 

of young crabs thrown into a vessel of vinegar some 
time before dinner is served. The vinegar corrodes the 
deHcate shells, so that when the lid of the vessel in which 
they are contained is removed the lively young crabs 
scramble out and run all over the table until their career 
is cut short by each guest snatching up what he can, and 
in spite of occasional smart nips from their spiteful claws, 
putting the living tit-bits into his mouth. 

Ownng to the spread of Buddhism, beef is scarcely ever 
used, but dishes, other than those already mentioned, are 
glutinous birds' nests, soups, mutton, sharks' fins and 
deers' sinews. 

Fruit, of which there is every conceivable kind, always 
finds a place in the Chinese menu. All fruits known in 
America are grown in China, and the tropical ones as 
well. Among the fruits peculiar to the country are the 
li-chee — of delicious flavor — the carambolo and the nam- 
pee. Water chestnuts, which grow at the bottom of small 
rivers and brooks, are gathered by hand, and are very nice 
eating ; when baked and beaten, they are used as a kind of 
flour. 

Rice is, however, the universal food of China. Rice is 
what a Chinaman w^orks for, and he cannot understand 
how the benighted inhabitants of foreign countries have 
not died long ago for the want of it. The poor eat almost 
anything, but still rice is their staple food. 

We will conclude this chapter with an account by a 
Danish officer of a banquet given at Shanghai by the 
Governor, Taotai, to Prince Valdemar of Denmark and 
suite : 

''The banquet came on, and we had our Chinese fare. 
We were thirty-five at the table, counting the Prince and 
his staflf of hardy Norse naval officers. The table was set 
in crescent shape, and each of us had an humble slave 
standing like a lamb behind our chairs, ready to get any- 



What the Chinese Eat. 157 

thing we might call for, and unable to understand any- 
thing we said. Consequently nothing was called for, and 
for awhile we sat there with empty stomachs and plates 
At a gesture by the Taotai, however, the mob of servants 
began to pile up provender in front of us in such quanti- 
ties that the table, had it been less massive, might have 
crashed on our feet. There were nineteen courses, mind! 
and they were nineteen wonders to us. As all other peo- 
ple finish their meals with dessert, it was not only natural 
but imperative, that this formidable Chinese banquet 
should begin with dessert. There was tea and rice to 
overflowing with each course. Some roasts, some entres, 
some fish, some nameless and indefinable Celestial morsels, 
some soups, some puzzling fancy dishes, and the stately 
dmuer was over. It took a long time to get through. 
Due regard was shown for our Western habits in placing 
at our disposal fork and knife in addition to the usual 
chopstick of the Empire. Wines of European origin were 
served, but the Chinese present seemed to prefer the na- 
tive table wine, which was sipped from shallow metal 
bowls, and enjoyed, though it tasted to us like salt water 
to a suspicious degree. Of the native dishes, which we 
were able to define, swallow nests with inclosure of pig- 
eon's hard-boiled eggs proved a trifle too much for us to 
swallow. We took the egg and discoursed upon the nest, 
which was gray, jelly-like and forbidding. Prince Val- 
demar, however, on whom the watchful glance of many 
mandarins rested, was obliged, for courtesy's sake, to eat 
one nest with inclosure. He looked as pleased and serene 
as It IS possible in such a strait, therebv proving his inborn 
courage and right to bear the name of Prince of the 
Danes, and brother-in-law to the Prince of Wales. Shark- 
fins in style Celestial was another surprise, which we were 
very careful to avoid, of which the intrepid Prince found 
himself compelled to partake, together with his begoggled 



158 What the Chinese Eat. 

mandarin entertainers — the Prince affecting a semblance 
of pleasure that was irresistible. Asparagus was brought 
forth with solemn pomp, the Chinese evidently consider- 
ing it a rare treat, and they expressed surprise when no 
one ate it — no one but the Prince. He had to, and he did 
eat one solitary asparagus. Instead of serving them hot 
and with sauce or butter as we do, these otherwise well- 
seasoned crops were parceled out among us in an almost 
frozen condition, resembling long, green icicles. A lieu- 
tenant at my side transferred one of these verdant icicles 
to his coat-tail pockets, remarking that he would try it 
for a black-jack. 

''We were not half through this memorable feast be- 
fore every man in the party except the mandarins^was 
shivering with cold. The soup, the eatables, the 'unname- 
ables,' in fact the entire bill of fare, was cold. The hall 
of feasting was cold, and the Prince was responding to a 
toast in a few chattering syllables. 'How is this,' I ask. 
My learned friend, Onam, the mandarin, explains: 'Chi- 
nese eat cold, sit warm ; other people eat warm, sit cold.' 
Looking about I saw all the mandarins festively decked 
out in heavy, quilted garments, and by each comfortable 
Celestial a miserable member of my race fighting off chills 
in dress suit and starched front! We felt the temperature 
more and more, and under some pretense or other we all 
found our way to the entry, whence we reappeared attired 
in overcoats, carefully buttoned. We all had the benefit 
of this protection against barbaric Chinese table etiquette 
. — all of us except the Prince. He had to freeze for de- 
corum's sake, and he did freeze most dutifully. 

"The dinner is at an end — the first dinner given by an 
Imperial Chinese Taotai to the Prince of Denmark. The 
Taotai is toasting the Prince in a long Chinese speech, 
which the Prince does not understand, and the Prince re- 
taliates 'most graciously' by responding briefly in French, 



What the Chinese Eat. 159 

w hich the Taotai does not understand. Nevertheless, the 
most kindly mutual feeling prevails ; the Taotai is 
charmed in the Prince, the Prince in the Taotai, all of 
which goes to show the superfluousness of an intelligible 
language for toast-making. 

*'With chattering teeth we left the palace of our host 
and walked back to Shanghai to circulate our blood. It 
was a great dinner and we all enjoyed avoiding the na- 
tive dishes ; all of us except the Prince, who found time 
to study the after effects from racing through a Chinese 
bill of fare in competition with trained native stomachs. 
He was reported 'indisposed' the following day, but he 
held out w^ell while the feast lasted as becomes the brother 
of the Princess of Wales and the Czarina Dowager of 
Russia." 



\ 



CHAPTER XL 

AMERICA IN THE ORIENT. 

The following article was written by Wu Ting Fang, 
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of 
China to the United States, and is printed here by per- 
mission of the publishers of Ainslee's Magazine, in which 
it first apf>eared. 

Perhaps a sketch of this noted diplomat's character and 
career by the Washington correspondent of the New 
York Post may prove' of interest here : 

"The Chinese troubles have brought into special prom- 
inence not onl3^ here^ but to a lesser extent throughout 
the civilized world, Mr. Wu Ting Fang, the Chinese Min- 
ister at this capital. He is recognized as one of the most 
remarkable men that China has ever produced. Not only 
is he unlike former Chinese Ministers here, but he is not 
at all typical of the Ministers now representing China at 
the European and other capitals. So famous has he be- 
come that the suggestion has been made in one newspaper 
— purporting to emanate from Assistant Secretary Mei- 
klejohn — that the present dynasty should be overthrown 
by the Powers and Wu Ting Fang established as ruler, 
with the police support of the Western nations. While 
this scheme is obviously chimerical, there is something in 
the conditions of Mr. Wu's appointment and his record 
here to make him a man whose career may w^ell be 
watched. 

"He represents not the China of tradition, but the ag- 
gressive, commercial elements. His appointment was a 
recognition *of these interests. He is one of the most cos- 



America in the Orient. l6i 

mopolitan of men. He was the first Chinese to take a 
full legal course in England and be admitted as a barrister 
there. He could put out his sign in London to-morrow 
and practice law^ with success. His command of the Eng- 
lish language is excellent, and he is almost as familiar 
with Western institutions as any native of the New World. 
It is said that Wu owes his appointment and promotion, 
while standing for the progressive element in Chinese 
aft'airs, to the favor of Li Hung Chang, who early discov- 
ered his abilities and decided to bring him to the front. 
Wu is a genuine Chinese, and not a Manchu, which makes 
his rise in politics all the more notable. He has no long 
line of mandarin ancestors, but, what is better, a Chinese 
family of sufficient means and intelligence to send him to 
Europe for an education. 

''How successful Minister Wu would be as the trustee 
of Western civilization in the management of China could 
not be foretold. It is feared that his Western education 
and associations would make him persona non grata to the 
stolid Chinese element, but that this element will have 
much to say in the reorganization of Chinese affairs may 
be an open question. The next difficulty would be the 
rivalry between the Slav and the Saxon. It is unlikely 
that Russia would look with favor upon any man whom 
the two great English-speaking peoples expressed a will- 
ingness to support in this capacity. 

'Tor Minister Wu everybody in Washington has the 
kindliest of feelings. He is genial and approachable at 
all times, and talks freely and intelligently upon the great 
public questions. At the same time he appears to love 
his native land, and to be keenly alive to its greatest 
needs." 

The article already mentioned of Minister Wu is as 
follows : 

•'America has a magnificent opportunity in the Orient if 



1 62 America in tlie Orient. 

she will only reach out and take it. A people which has 
done so much and has taken advantage of so many chances 
will surely not fail to reap for its commerce the benefits 
which it has earned by its bravery. The possession of the 
Philippine Islands brings the United ^States close up to 
the greatest markets in the world — markets which have 
only just begun to be developed, but which have already 
shown a capacity for development that a great commercial 
people will understand. There are many millions of peo- 
ple in China, and they are ready to buy from other nations 
the things which they can use. Some in America seem 
to think that the Chinese now manufacture practically all 
that is sufficient for their own needs. Far from it. Of 
course, it is true that for centuries before China was open 
to foreign trade its people made the goods they used, and 
this seemed sufficient; but now China is open to foreign 
trade, and manufactured goods come from America and 
Europe. We buy them readily. America can sell us 
goods more cheaply than our people could manufacture 
them. This is true especially of cotton cloth. That which 
we manufacture ourselves we weave with our own hands, 
and it is very durable ; but the American product is ver}^ 
fine in comparison, and now it has come to be in common 
use with us. In some parts of the empire American and 
English cottons have taken almost entirely the place of 
our native manufacture. With finer dresses, silks, and 
that sort of thing, it is not yet true ; but with cheaper 
articles it is. 

*'China takes kindly to improvements. We have not only 
the railroad, but the telegraph and the telephone. Tlie 
telegraph lines extend throughout the length and breadth 
of China. There is not a province now without the tele- 
graph. The first cable in China was laid by the Danish 
Company,, and our principal telegraph company is now 
superintended by a Danish engineer. The first telegraph 



America in the Orient. 163 

company was organized by an official named Sheng Hsuan 
Huai, commonly known as Sheng Taotai. He induced 
Chinese merchants to subscribe and built the line under 
government protection. The line extended from Tien-tsin 
for a short distance; then it was continued to Shanghai; 
then to Pekin, and so branched out from north to south, 
from east to west. This was twenty years ago, and the 
telegraph built by private enterprise under government 
control, with Danish operatives, in the main now covers a 
wide extent of territory. When it came to extending the 
system to more remote parts of the country the private 
commercial company did not like to undertake the con- 
struction, and so the government has built these lines it- 
self. Thus there are practically two systems, one semi- 
official, the other solely under government control. 

"The telephone has been introduced more recently. The 
first telephones were brought in by foreigners for their 
own convenience, and their use spread gradually. The 
first line was put up at Shanghai, and others followed in 
different treaty ports. They are all managed by different 
private companies. We have no long-distance telephone 
as yet, but that will come in time. With the railroad, the 
telegraph, the telephone, and a great population thickly 
settling a vast extent of territory, the future possibilities 
of the Chinese trade must appeal to the commercial in- 
stincts of the United States. With a foothold in the Phil- 
ippines, America will have a great advantage over other 
nations w^hich lack possessions in that part of the world. 
If Americans know how to turn this to good account, 
they will be able to do wonders. 

''But it is of the greatest importance that America 
should sustain the friendliest relations with China and the 
Chinese people. There is an opportunity to develop the 
consular service. Thus far the American diplomatic and 
consular offices in China have done wonderfuUv well al- 



164 America in tlie OrienU 

though they have labored under disadvantages. The men 
who go to China as consuls ought to be peculiarly fitted 
for their work. It would help them a good deal if they 
were able to understand something of the language of 
the people. It is not right that American consuls should be 
compelled to employ Chinese interpreters, as is now the 
case. They ought to have the;r own men, people of their 
own nation. It would be to their interest. The American 
consular service now does not hold out sufficient induce- 
ments for the right kind of men in China. Americans 
ought to be encouraged to enter the service, and, having 
entered, to remain there. It requires a peculiar kind of 
men to succeed. Young men ought to be sent to China 
who would like to learn the language, and who could look 
forward to a long period of service after they had once 
fitted themselves for it. In England, at Oxford and at 
Cambridge, they have Chinese professors to give elemen- 
tary training. Young men go out from there into the 
consular, diplomatic or merchant service, and what they 
have learned at the universities they supplement in the 
service. They have enthusiasm, because they realize that 
if they do good work they can find for themselves a ca- 
reer. I appreciate the fact that this is a democratic form 
of government, and that it may not be easy to bring about 
the change which I suggest. It is difficult to secure the 
necessary legislation, but I am sure that in view of the 
constantly increasing impwDrtance of the American com- 
mercial and political position in China it would be of in- 
estimable advantage if the consular service there could be 
marked by permanency of tenure and adequacy of train- 
ing. Merit should be rewarded by promotion, as is the 
rule now with most of the European governments which 
send young men to the East to learn the language and 
study the customs of the country. 
*'The English-speaking people have a great advantage 



America in the Orient. 165 

in China now because their language is popular in Asia, 
and because it is more commonly used than any other for- 
eign tongue. It is a pity that this advantage cannot be 
followed up by making the language still more adaptable 
to the needs of the natives of the country. The present 
popularity is due to circumstances. The English con- 
trolled India. Their language was spoken there and in 
all the British colonies, and when the English found their 
way •into China ahead of other European nations they 
brought their language with them. But it is not an easy 
tongue to learn. The Chinese people are not slow in 
learning, but it does not seem right that unnecessary ob- 
stacles should be placed in their path. I am not partial to 
the English language, but it has evidently come to stay, 
and it may already be called the commercial language of 
the Orient. In all the treaty ports and important centers 
of the East it holds a place in the school and the counting- 
house which no other language can claim. It is spoken 
in the streets of Shanghai, it is taught in the- 
schools of Yokohama, and it has obtained such a 
vogue that merchants of all other nations resident in the 
East make use of it in their business and in their families. 
If there is to be an international language it will be Eng- 
lish, and therefore I say it ought to be improved upon so 
as to facilitate the learning of it and make it easier for 
those who are not English-born. A whole language can- 
not be suddenly reformed. Changes must be a matter of 
slow growth. But there is one respect in which improve- 
ment can be made without doing violence to the idiom or 
the construction. This is in spelling. If a phonetic spell- 
ing were to be adopted it would be a blessing to those of 
us with whom English has not become a habit, and who 
find ourselves continually tripping and stumbling over the 
words which do not sound as they appear to the eye, and 
it would be worth a little trouble for the people of the 



1 66 America in the- Orient. 

United States to make the change. Americans, I find, ac- 
complish many results by meeting together and discussing 
questions. Why would it not be possible to hold a great 
convention, the object of which should be to bring the 
spelling of the English language more closely in conform- 
ity with its sound? 

"Another thing: The men who go from the United 
States to the Far East should learn to understand the peo- 
ple there. They ought to realize the fact that the Asiatic 
is not an Anglo-Saxon, that his habit of mind is different, 
and that he has customs and peculiarities of his own. 
What an American or European might do under certain 
conditions offers no standard for the Oriental, and in the 
same way it would be a grievous mistake to attempt to 
force the Asiatic to a compliance with American or Euro- 
pean ideas. A slight difference of conception, insignificant 
m itself, may lead to the most lamentable misunderstand- 
ings. Lawsuits and even wars have resulted from a 
failure on the part of foreigners to comprehend the atti- 
tude of mind of Asiatic peoples with whom they have come 
in contact. If Americano are to prosper in the Orient with 
peace and good will they must be ready to adapt them- 
selves to the conditions they find there, and they must 
study to understand the motives and the customs of the 
natives of the country. They must learn to judge them 
by another standard than that which prevails among 
Western nations, and this requires adaptability and tact. 
It is a mistake, I believe, to place men in control of affairs 
in the East who are not men of the world. Military offi- 
cers, accustomed by long habit to routine and iron-clad 
regulations, cannot, except in extraordinary instances, 
bring themselves to a delicate comprehension of the mo- 
tives of the people with whom they are surrounded. Men 
of broad sympathies and wide tolerance are needed, men 
who arc accustomed to deal with other men in all relations 



America in the Orient. 167 

of life, and whose comprehension is elastic enough to 
bring them into sympathetic touch with people in whom 
the traditions of ages have implanted ideas and standards 
of their own. The nation which is to have the greatest 
success in the Orient will be the nation which conducts its 
commercial, social and diplomatic intercourse in this spirit. 
Disagreeable consequences will be avoided if those w^ho 
are unfamiliar with our ways will make it their object to 
learn to understand them, not superficially, but intimately 
— to put themselves as far as they can into the mental 
attitude of those with whom they are in contact. 

'This brings me to a subject which is of the very great- 
est interest not only to America but to us in the East. The 
United ^States has gained a foothold in the Philippines. 
There will be an opportunity there for the American peo- 
ple to show their capacity for handling Asiatic people. I 
am pleased to see that strong and tactful men, civilians, 
have been intrusted with the responsibility of conducting 
American affairs in these new possessions. 

''There is a great deal of talk about the presence of the 
Chinese in the Philippines, and there are those who say 
that this is a problem which may cause trouble. I do not 
see why there should be any difificulty. The Chinese have 
been there for centuries. Why should anybody wish to 
disturb the existing state of things ? It is said there is ill- 
feeling against the Chinese on the part of the natives, but 
this is by no means so great as it has been represented to 
be. It is exaggerated. Those who have discussed it make 
too much of it. This is a fundamental mistake. If the 
natives see that the Americans attach importance to it, 
they may magnify it themselves, but if Americans refuse 
to notice it there will be a difference. It is said that the 
natives have some feeling because the Chinese have suc- 
ceeded in business, monopolizing it in some instances. 
What if this be true? Is it not the fault of the natives 



1 68 America in the Orient. 

themselves? If the Chinese learn to transact business, they 
have that advantage over foreigners, and the Chinese are 
naturally business men. But if the natives would apply 
themselves, why should they not control the business 
themselves? They certainly have every natural advantage 
over foreigners. If they will only work and seize the op- 
portunities, the natural consequence will be that the Chi- 
nese will cease going there. The thing will remedy itself. 
There is no necessity for resorting to forcible measures 
to exclude our people. It lies with the natives themselves 
if they are good for anything. Let them turn their talents 
to account. The fact that so many Chinese go to the Phil- 
ippines is only an evidence that the people there do not 
live up to their opportunities. If there were no opening 
for the Chinese, they certainly would not go there. Then 
it is said there is feeling against the Mestizos. Why should 
this be?. The very fact that they are Mestizos or half- 
breeds is evidence in itself of intimate association between 
the two races. One is as good as the other. If the ill- 
feeling against the Chinese were as strong as it has been 
represented to be, there certainly would not he so many 
Mestizos. The existence of the Mestizos shows that the 
natives like the Chinese. It seems to be that this is self- 
evident. It is true, of course, that the cleverest men in the 
Philippines are these same Chinese \J^estizos. Aguinaldo 
has Chinese blood, and this is the case with most of the 
leading Filipinos. The Mestizos get their best blood from 
the Chinese. Hence they are superior to the natives. 

'''Mr. Wildman, the A^merican consul at Hongkong, 
has said in his report that without Chinese labor the trade 
with the Philippines would be ruined, and all the indus- 
tries w^ould deteriorate. There would be no chance for 
development. He said this emphatically, and it is prob- 
ably true. The English people appreciate this. They 
would be very glad indeed to have the Chinese expelled 



America in the Orient. 169 

^liMLi ihe Philippines, because in that case there would be 
the less to fear from the competition of the Philippine 
trade, and because the Chinese when expelled would be 
inclined to go to the Straits Settlement, where they will 
be welcomed. The English government has always en- 
couraged the immigration of Chinese to the Straits. They 
recognize the value of this class of population in devel- 
oping the country. There are Chinese in Hongkong. 
They have recently established cotton factories there with 
Chinese labor, and the proprietors of these factories do 
not relish the pnospect of having similar factories estab- 
lished in the Philippines. If the Chinese were excluded 
from the Philippines there would be no danger of com- 
petition from this source, because the native Filipinos are 
not adapted to work of this kind. The English govern- 
ment welcomes the Chinese in the Straits Settlement and 
in all its colonies. They cannot do without them. They 
work them to advantage, and the result is always good. I 
am familiar with Singapore, and know something of the 
Malay natives there. Many of the Filipinos are of the 
same race. You cannot make anything out of them, and 
there is little chance for their development without the 
presence of the Chinese. 

''I have raised the question whether it is not time for the 
United States to extend the Monroe Doctrine to Asia. 
There are those who say that this is too rapid. But is it 
not logical ? The possession of the Philippines brings the 
Lnited States within six hundred miles of Asia, nearer by 
far than some portions of South America to which the 
Monroe Doctrine is now held to apply. It is a measure 
of self -protection, founded on justice, and if the United 
States is to be an Asiatic power, I cannot see why, logi- 
cally, it will not find itself in time compelled to guard 
against the encroachments of European powers in that 
part of the world. It is true that the Monroe Doctrine 



170 America in the Orient. 

was intended originally to apply to the American continent 
alone, but the principle is the same wherever foreign en- 
croachments might interfere with American interests. It 
will not be necessary to interfere with existing conditions. 
When President Monroe issued his caveat he intended it 
to apply to the future, not to that which already was. He 
did not go as far as to undertake to drive from the Ameri- 
can continent those European nations which were already 
there. To apply the same doctrine to Asia means simply 
that things are to be left as they are, and this will be for 
the interests of the United States as well as for the whole 
Asiatic continent. I may be a little ahead of time, but by 
and by the United States will come to this. The posses- 
sion of the Philippines is a new thing, but after awhile, 
perhaps in ten years, it will be seen that for self -protect ion 
and for the maintenance of peace it will be necessary to 
have all nations understand that no further encroachments 
on the Asiatic continent will be allowed. When that time 
comes there will be no more war. After the United States 
gets a firm hold on the Philippines, and begins to establish 
American commerce and to branch out in every direction, 
they will become more and more impressed with the ne- 
cessity of keeping things as they are. No man can tell 
how long the open door can be maintained in the East 
unless further aggressions are prevented.'* 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE BOXERS. -^ 

There are innumerable secret societies in China, and of 
these the Boxers is to-day by far the best known, most 
important and most influential. Though the society of 
the Boxers has but recently come into prominence, it is in 
point of fact but a new manifestation of a secret society 
which has existed throughout the whole Mantchu dy- 
nasty, a period covering over two hundred years. The 
probability is that it was formed by plotters against the 
Mantchu conquerors. It never succeeded in its object 
in overthrowing the dynasty, but still under one name or 
another and with one purpose or another, it has continued 
to exist until the present day. Not so long ago it was 
called "The White Lotus Society,'' and again "The Great 
Knife or Sword Society." 

The name of the society still varies, but perhaps Ho 
Ch' Wan is the most common of any. This is differently 
translated as "Righteous Fist Society" (hence the Boxers) 
and "League of Righteous Harmony." Oriental ideas 
may appreciate the righteousness better than our own. 

The Chinese newspaper Shen Poo gives the following 
account of the Boxers : 

"The robber chief, Tschu Leung Teng founded in May, 
1899, i^ the province of Eh-hsien and Ping Yuen Hsuen, 
a sect which originally went by the names Hung Tong 
Tschan (Red Lamp Shade), Tschin Tschung Lehang 
(Veil of the Golden Bell), Lie Pu Schan (Shirt of Iron), 
and Tatahni (Sect of the Great Water). Soon the organ- 
ization extended operations to the province of Khan- 



172 The Boxers. 

Hsien, and changed its name to Lin-Hu-Schuen (Willow 
Forest Fist). Government troops were sent to stoo the 
murders of its members and extinguish them, and they 
fled back to their first fields of work, the provirfces of En 
Husien and Ping-Yuen-Hsien, and again changed their 
name to J-Ho-Tschuen (The Fist of Patriotism and 
Peace). 

''The Chinese are persuaded to join this sect by being 
told that the society controls many powerful and wonder- 
ful magic formulae, which makes the owner proof against 
sword or bullet. In a very short time the sect had grown 
immensely and spread over many provinces. The leaders 
even gave out that the members need not fear the shot 
from cannon. 

"The first murders were committed on Roman Catholic 
Christians, but by the middle of September, 1899, no dis- 
tinction was made between these and Protestant Chris- 
tians. After the missionaries had telegraphed to the Amer- 
ican Consul at Tien-tsin for help, and Governor Yu of 
Shang Tung had sent one hundred government soldiers 
out against the Boxers, they suddenly vanished.^ But on 
October 11 the leader again gathered nearly one thousand 
of the sect around him, and issued a proclamation signed 
with his full name, in which he says: 'The Fist of Pa- 
triotism and Peace' in the empire will elevate the Mant- 
chu dynasty and extinguish all foreigners. 

"Government troops sent out against them suffered de- 
feat constantly and the misdeeds of the rebels multiplied 
day by day. A battle was fought near Lin-Lo-Tien, be- 
tween the soldiers and the Boxers, who arranged special 
jubilee days to celebrate this event. 

"Since then the Boxers have become more and more 
daring in their attacks upon missionaries, and the sect is 
spreading constantly to all nearby districts. The European 
powers and the United States will have to undertake the 



The Boxers. 173 

punishment of the rebels themselves on account of the in- 
ability of the Chinese Government to deal with the Boxers 
or the co-operation of part of the Chinese Government 
with the rebels." 

In regard to the connivance of the government with 
the Boxers all authorities seem to accept this as a fact. 

That Boxers do not represent a general uprising of the 
people is the opinion of the Rev. John N. B. Smith of 
Ningpo, China, and he has been nineteen years in China 
as a Presbyterian minister. The Boxers, he says, are the 
outcome of the reactionary measures, and whatever may 
have been the past history of the society, it has now col- 
lected its forces against the foreigners within the Chinese 
Empire. 

There has always been a strong anti-foreign feeling 
among the officials and literati (the scholars from whose 
ranks the officials are chosen), and they have stirred up 
the people and fomented disturbances whenever and 
wherever they have been able to do so. They despise for- 
eigners because they consider them to be an inferior race; 
they hate them because the latter will not submit to and 
acknowledge their superior wisdom. 

The Boxers is a local organization, collected and or- 
ganized by the literati, and encouraged by the officials, 
and it is an open secret that the edicts issued in answef 
to the appeal for the suppression of the Boxers have been 
really political manifestos approving the purpose while ap- 
parently condemning the excesses of the Boxers. 

The course followed by the mandarins, approved by the 
Dowager, and until recently acquiesced in by the minis- 
ters, has been one calculated to foster and encourage the 
growth of such an organization. 

Whatever may have been the genesis of the movement, 
it has been encouraged by the Empress with a hope that 
she could use it to carry out her own ends. She made no 



174 The Boxers. 

adequate effort to prevent their march on Pekin, because 
she hoped under the guise of an insurrection to secure the 
deposition, if not the death, of the Emperor, and the ex- 
pulsion of the foreigners from Pekin, and subsequently 
from all China. 

There seems to be a well-organized reform i>arty ex- 
tending to all (or all but three) of the eighteen provinces 
of China. It was the product of these people that com- 
pelled the Dowager to withdraw from her proposed plan 
of putting another emperor on the throne of China. 

The rebellion in the Souths continues the Rev. Mr. 
-Smith, writing under the date of June i6, 1900, has no 
connection with the Boxers, but is an uprising of the peo- 
ple against the oppression of their rulers, an event of no 
uncommon occurrence in that particular region. It is 
either a continuation or a revival of a rebellion which was 
going on several months ago.. 

The events of the last few months have revealed, on the 
one hand, that the desire and intention of the Dowager 
and her party is the restoration or continuance of the old 
order of things and the expulsion of the foreigners. On 
the other hand, it has been shown that there is a large 
party in favor of reform, who do not acquiesce in the 
usurpations of the Dowager, and who are working for the 
£ull restoration of the Emperor to his lawful authority. 

The Boxers had got beyond the control of the authori- 
ties and were sufficiently numerous and ferocious to do 
incalculable damage before they were suppressed. If they 
succeeded, their success would encourage similar upris- 
ings all over the empire. 

If the powders should slacken their efforts, when once 
they took the matter in hand, and allow the Dowager to 
deceive them by pretended acquiescence and specious 
promises, they would certainly rue it. The Dowager con- 
sented to the presence of foreign troops because she could 



The Boxers. 



/ D 



not prevent it and because she hoped by her seeming ac- 
quiescence in the efforts of the powers to put down the 
rebellion, to persuade them that she had had no hand in 
the uprising from which she had hoped so much and got 
so Httle. 

Men are still living in China who remember the time 
when the imperialists had to call in foreign powers to sup- 
press the Tae-ping rebellion, and some of them say that 
the assistance given to the imi>erialists put back progress 
in China fifty years. The powers have now put their hand 
to the plow and they ought not to turn back. They must 
not stop until this uprising is entirely suppressed and until 
they have secured adeqviate safeguards that such upris- 
ings will never occur again. 

To carry out this work, concludes Dr. Smith, they will 
need to assure the Empress Dowager that the Emperor's 
health is so far restored that he will be able, with the as- 
sistance of the powers, to manage the affairs of state and 
that in view of her increasing years and weakness she 
needs the rest and quiet which can only be obtained by a 
complete abandonment of all concern in public matters, 
and that she will be allowed to retire immediately to enjoy 
her well-earned repose. 

The retirement of the Dowager and the restoration of 
the Emperor will be a death-blow to the reactionaries and 
an assurance to the friends of progress that there is hope 
for China. 

Miss Anna Benjamin, a talented writer, who obtained 
her information on the spot in Pekin, is also of the opinion 
that the Empress Dowager could have nipped the whole 
Boxer movement in the bud with a few vigorous meas- 
ures, for she believes the valor of the Boxers to be of that 
order which does not thrive before a determined resis- 
tance. A number of arrests and a few decapitations of 
leaders might considerably lessen the force of that "right- 



176 The Boxers. 

eons fist," and the ancient society be made again only a 
latent force in the Chinese Empire. 

Miss Benjamin also says that the slumbering society 
of Boxers was wakened to life by certain phases. of Roman 
Catholicism in China. There are more converts to that 
form of Christianity than any other, and there are several 
reasons for this. The Roman Catholics have worked 
longer in China than any Protestant sect, and they 
are not so careful about putting their converts on proba- 
tion, but accept all who come. Recently, through the great 
activity of the French Legation, especial privileges have 
been granted Roman Catholic subjects. This is due to 
the government's weakness, rather than any encouraging 
attitude toward Christianity. 

The Roman Catholic^ have achieved so much influence 
wnth the government that w^hen a native convert has any 
trouble with one of his neighbors and is subjected to law- 
suit or arrest, he applies immediately to the priest, who 
responds by sending his card to the local magistrate. This 
acts like magic and the convert is released or gains his 
point. 

Miss Benjamin does not for a moment consider that 
the priests have been lacking in conscientiousness. It is 
generally their zeal for their faith which has led them to 
make mistakes, and they have too often failed to investi- 
gate whether the supposed convert whom they were help- 
ing was right or wrong. It will be seen, therefore, that 
here was injustice, which the Chinese might naturally 
resent, although it was of a new variety, hardly of a dif- 
ferent nature, from that to which they had been accus- 
tomed. 

The wrath of the Boxers was at first, as has been said, 
directed toward the Roman Catholics and the injustice 
for which they were responsible, but as they grew more 
fanatical, less distinction was made between the various 



The Boxers, 177 

bodies of Christians and all were more or less in danger. 
There was also a drought in North China for nine months, 
during which time there was only one rainfall, and a 
fearful famine was threatened. This dire state of affairs 
the Boxers laid to the foreigners in general, and soon all 
WTre included in their hatred. 

Another cause for the movements of the Boxers may 
have been the hatred the Germans aroused among the 
common people, and still another the defeats and disas- 
ters of the Chinese at the hands of foreign nations, espe- 
cially their reverses in the war with Japan. 

In a recent issue of the Philadelphia Press a prominent 
Chinaman is quoted as follows: ''Foreigners of every 
nation are objectionable to a large majority of China- 
men, and when they see Europeans and Americans getting 
valuable concessions and preparing to cut up the country 
with railroads, they fear the invasion will eventuate in 
the extinction of sacred customs and that the white man 
will rule the country.'' 

It may be said that this statement very fairly represents 
the average opinion of the Chinese people. 

It may be interesting to note from a letter received by 
the New York Siui^vom the capital of Chih-li, how the 
Boxers gained their present power. 

In any other country they would have been scotched 
and killed like a dangerous snake, but nothing is done in 
China as anywhere else. 

In 1899, ^^ the Pao-ting prefectories, about eight hun- 
dred Boxers secured a walled hamlet, and began to gather 
arms and ammunition. They sent out recruiting agents, 
who represented the rich loot that would be gained by any 
one who took service under them. They bought all the 
pistols they could find, as well as other arms, paying good 
prices for these weapons. Swords and spears were also 
gathered, and the raw recruits were drilled daily by men 



178 The Boxers. 

who had enjoyed the training of German officers. In a 
few months the force was Hcked into shape, and, as it 
was made up of adventurers, who had everything to gain 
and nothing to lose, it was formidable, especially in a non- 
military country like China. 

During all these months warnings and appeals were 
constantly received by the magistrate at the capital. 
These letters came from native Christian villages near the 
Boxer headquarters. These people knew the intensely 
anti-Christian sentiments of the society, and they saw 
clearly if the Boxers were allowed to go on gaining 
strength, the association would soon be too powerful to 
check without calling out the imperial army. But the 
magistrate laughed at the warnings and ignored the ap- 
peals. Apparently he treated the new society as a band 
of cranks, who would never reach any prominence, and 
he never lifted a hand to prevent the recruiting or the 
gathering of arms and munitions. 

Finally the expected attack was made upon a Christian 
village, and it was so savage and shov/ed such organiza- 
tion among the Boxers that the magistrate was forced 
to appeal to Tien-tsin for aid to suppress the bandits. 

The leader of the Boxers then determined to assert 
himself. He gave notice that he would call on the follow- 
ing day on the magistrate. 

That official gathered about him several petty military 
officers, one hundred provincial troops and about seventy 
yamen runners and constables. 

They made quite an imposing appearance, but the mo- 
ment the Boxer leader entered the yamen with fifty well- 
armed followers it was plain to every one that the magis- 
trate was alarmed and wished to temporize. The magis- 
trate tried a bluflf game and demanded that the Boxers 
should agree not to interfere with Christians in his pre- 



The Boxers, 179 

lecture, but he gave them full liberty to harm any Chris- 
tians or foreigners in other districts. 

The Boxer leader talked in a general way of the plunder 
that was to be gained by squeezing the Christians of the 
distiict until about four hundred more of his followers 
had crowded into the yamen yard, most of them with 
arms concealed under their blouses. 

Then he threw off all disguise and boldly told the trem- 
bling magistrate that unless he furnished a good amount 
of coin at once the Boxers would begin w^ork on his yamen 
and then loot the city. 

The military officers looked at the magistrate and saw- 
it w^as useless to attempt resistance. 

The magistrate ordered one thousand bags of rice from 
the city granary to be distributed to the Boxers, and gave 
the leader fifty taels for drink money. The money was 
wrapped in paper, and when it was untied, it was found 
to be half a tael short. 

At this the Boxer leader swore a fierce oath, and de- 
clared that he felt like cutting off the magistrate's head. 
He cast the money contemptuously on the floor. 

The magistrate became pale and speechless with fright, 
but one of his officers plucked up courage enough to ask 
what w^as wanted. 

'Tour hundred taels,'' replied the leader. 
Despite protests that he had no such sum, the magis- 
trate was forced to bring out the money. He produced 
three hundred and fifty taels, and said that this, with the 
money first offered, would make up the lot. 

^'Bring out another fifty taels," said the bandit leader, 
'for the first coin I intend to use as drink money for 
my men." 

The bandits made a rush for the coin on the floor, and 
it disappeared in a moment. 

The chief then weighed the package of silver and after- 



i8o The Boxers. 

ward marched out of the courtyard with his men. They 
appeared to have entire contempt for the regular troops 
of the yamen. 

This is a fair specimen of the way the Boxers were al- 
lowed to gain strength at all prominent parts in North 
China, yntil they thought that they were invincible. 

In concluding this chapter, let us see what a Boxer 
himself has to say on the subject. There is living in Lon- 
don, holding a high position in a firm of Eastern mer- 
chants, a Chinese who has belonged for many years to the 
Boxers' Society. 

In an interview with a correspondent of the London 
Express, he said, speaking of the Boxers' Secret Society 
in China: 

''You English look at Chinese matters only from your 
own point of view. xA.h! if you could only look at them 
from ours ! Western civilization is to us a mere mush- 
room. It is a thing of yesterday. Chinese civilization is 
unnumbered thousands of years old. We consider our- 
selves at least two thousand years ahead of you. 

''There was a time when we had, like you, our 'struggle 
for life,' our race for wealth, our ambition for power, our 
Haste and hurry and worry. We, too, had your clever in- 
ventions — gunpowder, printing and the rest — but we have 
lived long enough to find out how essentially unnecessary 
all these things are. 

"We have also had our periods of doubt, fanaticism and 
dissension in matters of religion. We have had our mar- 
tyrs, our reformations, our non-conformists, our intoler- 
ance, and, finally, our toleration. Yes, thousands of years 
ago. 

"But, as I say, we have outgrown it all. From the ex- 
perience of past centuries we have learned wisdom ; from 
the mistakes and disasters of our ancestors we have 



The Boxers. i8i 

learned that none of the things for which we strove were 
really worth striving for. 

"Our passions and ambitions have settled down into a 
calm desire for happiness in this world ; our religion is 
reduced to a philosophy of life which the test of the last 
two thousand years has proved to be absolutely sound. 

"We believe that the best thing to pursue in this life is 
happiness, and we teach our children that their happi- 
ness can be secured only by the performance of duty, by 
the observance of moral and business obligations, and by 
surrounding one's self wijh a circle of equally happy 
friends and relatives. 

"If a Chinaman prospers beyond the lot which /alls to 
his kindred he finds his greatest happiness in sharing his 
good fortune with them. And in China we never cease 
to work. There is no such thing as 'retiring from busi- 
ness.' Work is part of our pleasure, because it is part of 
our duty. 

"We believe in making the best of this life, which is 
the only one we know anything about for certain. That 
is the be all and end all of Chinese philosophy. 

"All through China you will find the same level, uni- 
form spirit of content. You may think we live lives of 
ignorance and squalor and idleness, but I assure you it is 
not so. We are as well off as we want to be, and no man 
can improve on that. 

"Now, these being our circumstances, you of the West- 
em World come to us with what you call your new ideas. 
You bring us your religion, an infant of nineteen hundred 
years. You invite us to build railways so that we may fly 
from place to place at a speed which for us has neither ne- 
cessity nor charm. You want to build mills and factories 
so as to debase our beautiful arts and crafts, and produce 
tawdry finery in place of the beautiful textures and hues 
which we have evolved after ages of experiment. 



1 8a The Boxers. 

"Against all this we protest. We want to be let alone. 
We want to be free to enjoy our beautiful country and the 
fruits of our centuries of experience. When we ask you 
to go away you refuse, and you even threaten us if we do 
not give you our harbors, our land, our towns. 

'*And now, having carefully considered the matter, we 
of the so-called Boxers' Society have decided that the only 
way to get rid of you is to kill you. We are not naturally 
bloodthirsty. We certainly are not thieves. But when 
persuasion and argument and appeals to your sense of jus- 
tice are of no avail, we find ourselves face to face with the 
fact that the only resource is to put you out of existence. 

"Consider your missionaries. They come, as I have 
said, with a new religion, upon the main principles of 
which they are divided bitterly among themselves. They 
tell us that unless we accept their doctrines we shall suffer 
eternal punishment. They frighten our children and the 
more weak-minded of our older people, and create all 
kinds of dissensions between families and individuals. 
No wonder that we will not tolerate them. 

'Tf we wanted your railways and machines, we could, 
of course, buy them ; but we do not. We have no use for 
them. We have learned to do without them. Yet you 
say you will force us to buy them whether we will or no. 
Is that just? I say it is an impertinence — an outrage. 

''A good deal is made of the fact that we are not sol- 
diers. Well, we have ceased to be soldiers because we 
have become civilized. War is a barbarism. The effect 
of our having arrived at our present stage of civilization 
is that we have increased and multiplied beyond every 
other race on the face of the earth. In spite of our great 
mortality (which seems to be very shocking to you, al- 
though we recognize in it only a wise provision of na- 
ture), the Chinese race is increasing at a greater rate than 
any other people in the world. 



The Boxers. 183 

'*We could, if we chose, overwhelm the rest of mankind. 
That we do not do so is due to the perfection of our civil- 
ization, our philosophy and our morals. We number 400,- 
000,000 human beings, and who could withstand us if we 
chose to assert our power ? Do you think we are uncon- 
scious of it ? On the contrary, we understand it only too 
well. Let the white races of the earth appreciate the fact 
that we and not they are its masters. 

''There have been twenty so-called successful invasions 
of China. But what has happened? Have invaders 
dominated the Chinese? No. The conquered have ab- 
sorbed the conquerors. All have become Chinese. The 
very Jews who have come among us have been absorbed 
by our race—a thing which has never happened elsewhere. 

''Let me repeat that all the forces which divide men in 
the West have practically no existence in China. Politics, 
religion, private ambitions, the necessity for expansion! 
land hunger, gold hunger— all these have no existence in 
China. You think that because the Chinaman is inert, 
careless and simple, he is a child. There never was a 
greater mistake. 

''He has learned the secret of being happy. His life is 
placid, and nothing troubles him so long as his conscience 
is clear. 

"There you have our character in a sentence. Let us 
alone, and we will let you alone.'' 



y^cr^ 



CHAPTER XIIL 

THE EMPRESS DOWAGER. 

To-day the eyes of all the world are upon the Dowager 
Hmpress, Tsi-an, who may be said to be the most won- 
dt rful woman of the world. Indeed, she stands high 
among the most wonderful women who ever lived. 

Horn a slave, she is now the absolute potentate of four 
hundred millions of people, one-third of the whole popu- 
lation of the globe. 

Tsi-an, from earliest childhood, has been a person 
of absorbing ambition. She was born sixty-six years 
ago of good Mantchu stock, her grandfather being one of 
the leading literati. 

Her father was a refugee, being the victim of one of 
those uprisings which so frequently threaten China. His 
house was burned, his crops were ruined and what little 
property he had was confiscated. He wandered for 
weeks to the South with his wife and child, hoping for 
work with which to restore his lost pittance. 

Finally, becoming desperate, he stopped in a little town 
in the province of Honan, and begged for food for his 
little family. 

Tsi-an, however, was beautiful, and beauty in China is 
a great good fortune for its possessor. The young girl 
^\ as tall and straight and handsome, with a skin the color 
of a yellow peach, yet black hair and eyes of sparkling 
black. Her feet were of their natural size, not deformed. 
v^he was, moreover, as witty and winsome as she was 
beautiful. 

On their journey southward many people told Tsi-an's 



The Empress Dowager. 185 

parents that they ought to sell the child and live the rest 
of their lives in peace and abundance. 

The girl, hearing people speak of her beauty, asked 
her parents if it were true. When they answered that it 
was, she begged them to sell her so that she would not 
be a burden upon them, and they themselves might live 
in comfort. 

The parents, therefore, sought out the Viceroy of the 
town in which they happened to be stopping, and event- 
ually a bargain was made. 

Her father and mother bade the future Empress good- 
by, and with the money they had received for their beau- 
tiful daughter wended their way northward. 

The experience of Tsi-an in the Viceroy's household 
was a varied one. At first she was placed in the kitchen, 
and obhged to do the work of a sculHon. She scrubbed 
the floor and washed the cooking utensils ; but her gentle 
disposition, cleverness and beauty soon became known 
about the Viceroy's court, and she was summoned to the 
presence of the Viceroy and his chief wife. The old man 
had promised not to take any more concubines, so Tsi-an 
was made a court attendant to the Viceroy's wife. Her 
talent and wit soon charmed the Viceroy. He made her 
his adopted daughter and promised to grant any favor 
she might ask. Throwing herself at his feet, she begged 
him to give her a tutor, that she might become learned 
and wise, and thus be a better daughter to him^ 

The Viceroy granted her request, and she threw her- 
self with great ardor into her studies. At that time she 
could neither read nor write, but in a few years she be- 
came so talented that her wisdom was heralded far and 
wide, and great mandarins came to listen to her. 

One day a superb decoration was brought to her 
adopted father from the Emperor. The Viceroy could 



i86 The Empress Dowagen 

not understand why this new honor had been bestowed 
upon him. 

Finally one of the mandarins said : 

"When the beautiful Tsi-an leaves for Pekin, we will 
all come and send our presents also." 

The Viceroy understood now. The fame of his adopted 
daughter's beauty had reached the Emperor's ears and 
he desired her for his harem. 

''What must be, must be/' a Chinaman reasons. Why 
hesitate then ? 

Tsi-an was put in the charge of a faithful servant and 
sent to Pekin, ''a present to the Emperor." 

No sooner was she presented to the Emperor than she 
conquered him with her coquetry and wit. 

When she first, entered the palace, she was only a sec- 
ondary wife. Within a short time she presented the Em- 
peror with a son, the first he had yet had, a boy who 
afterward became the Emperor Tung-che. This so de- 
lighted the Emperor that he raised her to the rank of 
Empress, giving her the title of the Western Empress 
to distinguish her from his first wife, who was known as 
the Eastern Empress. 

The two empresses had separate palaces, one at the 
east and the other at the west part of the Forbidden City. 

It was not long after this that the Emperor Hieng- 
Fung died. There was a rumor that Tsi-an had got 
tired of him and compassed his death, but this is hardly 
probable, as she was the favorite and the real power 
behind the throne. She had practically usurped the po- 
sition of precedence held by the Emperor's first wife. 
She was the recipient of palaces, diamonds, pearls and 
precious stones, the rarest and costliest of china ; a thou- 
sand women slaves, such as she had once been herself, 
waited upon her, and her robes were the handsomest 



Tlie Empress Dowager. 187 

that could be bought. The wealth of the empire was 
laid at her feet. 

So skillful was she and so tactful that the greatest of 
all Chinamen since Confucius, Li Hung Chang, wor- 
shiped at her feet. 

This had all been accomplished in twelve years, for 
Tsi-an was but twenty-seven years old when the Em- 
peror died. She must now seek new captives, for power- 
ful enemies were seeking to overthrow her imperious 
reign. 

The guardianship of the baby Emperor had been left 
to a board of princely regents. With the aid of Prince 
Kung, Tsi-an overthrew this board and usurped the 
reins of government herself. She associated w4th herself 
in the regency the real Dowager Empress, Tsi Tshi, 
whose power, however, was practically nil. 

The two empresses were supposed to run the govern- 
ment, but all the edicts had to be approved by Prince 
Kung. Tsi-an did not like this at all. She could control 
the Eastern Empress, but Prince Kung was by far from 
being so malleable. She made up her mind to get rid 
of him, and she made her little boy issue an edict that 
Kung had been very disrespectful to him, the Emperor, 
and must be degraded. So the prince's titles were taken 
away from him and he was confined in one of the palaces. 

Three days afterw^ard the baby Emperor issued another 
edict that Kung had thrown himself at the foot of the 
throne, confessed his fault, and was therefore pardoned. 
His rank and offices were then given back to him, all 
but the share in the regency. From that time the Em- 
press Dowager was the undisputed ruler of China. As 
for Prince Kung, she sometimes favored, sometimes de- 
graded him, according to her humor or plans. 

At about this time China was threatened with war. 



1 88 The Empress Dowager. 

The Yang-tsze valley was in a state of insurrection and 
the Mantchus on the north were restless. 

The Empress Tsi-an had been too busy to secure her 
position at Pekin to attend to anything else. 

It was fortunate for China, therefore, that there was a 
man equal to the occasion, and, curiously enough, he, 
like the Empress, had risen from the peasant classes. 
Had it not been for this man the Empress Tsi-an's career 
would have been short-lived. But Li Hung Chang was 
the salvation of the empire, and he upheld its name and 
preserved its purity. 

The Empress found Li Hung Chang indispensable to 
her ambitions, and Li became the willing tool of this now 
powerful woman. 

The Emperor Yung-che grew to manhood and mar- 
ried. But in 1875 he died of smallpox. 

Prince Kung was reinstated in his hereditary rank, 
and Tsi-an at once began a high-handed policy against 
her enemies. The Empress Ahlula, who was enceinte, 
was thrown into prison and died there before her child 
and heir to the throne was born. This removed one dis- 
agreeable possibility. 

The report sent out by the Empress was that Ahlula 
had ^'ascended upon the dragon to be a guest on high." 

The Dowager Empress has been called the Lucrezia 
Borgia of China, and there may be much truth in the 
appellation. At all events, it is astonishing how con- 
veniently her enemies have perished. 

The empresses then proclaimed as emperor a son of 
Prince Chung, under the name of Kwang Su. The new 
Emperor was only four years old and Tsi-an's power 
was again supreme. 

Despite her almost absolute power, there was always 
a thorn in the side of Tsi-an and that was the other Em- 
press, the widow of Hien-Fung, who, though the legal 



The Empress Dowager. 189 

Dowager, had little or no power except to stir up dis- 
sension. 

In 1 88 1, therefore, Tsi-an had the mournful announce- 
ment^to issue telling of the serious illness of the rightful 
Dowager. Shortly after this the Empress Tsi-an was 
called upon to publish the sad news of her coadjutor's 
death. The illness was short and the death sudden, but 
it was not the first time such things had happened in the 
palace, and the people had no alternative but to accept 
the situation and mourn with the surviving Empress. 

No one has opposed Tsi-an's will and survived. 

Some one has said that she has "a tiger's heart 
wrapped in a woman's slan." All her rivals have died. 
Most of them have suffered from mysterious illnesses sug- 
gesting poison. A peculiarly strong essence of opium, 
said to be her own preparation, is reported to be used. 

When Kwang Su was eighteen he was allowed a wife. 
All the pretty girls of the Empire, numbering many thou- 
sands, were brought together and sorted and the best of 
them sent to Pekin, where they were brought before the 
Empress. 

*'This examination and weeding of candidates went on 
for nearly two years, narrowing down from nearly three 
hundred original entries to thirty picked beauties, then 
to ten, and last to Yehonola, queen rose in the Mantchu 
garden of roses and daughter of the Empress Regent's 
own brother; whereby the invincible Dowager showed 
her skill again and kept imperial affairs in the family 
despite Kwang Su's preference for another. 

The Dowager Empress is a great stickler for etiquette. 
She exacts the same reverence as the Emperor. None 
-nay look at her. All must kow-tow to her. When they 
come up to her, they must continue to grovel and not 
raise their eyes to her Celestial face. 



190 The Empress Dowager. 

Li Hung Chang was once disgraced and banished for 
walking in a garden made sacred by Her Majesty's feet. 

The Empress Dowager retired avowedly from the 
regency on Kwang Su's coming of age in 1889, but her 
continued influence was repeatedly made manifest by 
edicts which the Emperor admitted having received her 
instructions to issue or indorse. 

It would be superfluous to record at length -the circum- 
.stances of the Emperor's revolt against that influence, 
nor need we attempt to ascertain the precise amount of 
his capacity and force. 

Tt may be said, en passant^ that Li Hung Chang was 
disgraced and deprived of his ^'ellow jacket and peacock 
feathers by Kw^ang Su, but after the Chinese war and its 
frightful disaster and loss to China, the Empress Dow- 
ager came out openly, took the bull by the horns, and 
reinstated Li and sent him to Japan to negotiate the 
terms of peace. 

Since that time the contentions in the palace have been 
bitter, and Kwang Su, in attempting to assert his 
authority, has lost it. 

What is certain is that the Emperor stood for reform 
and that the Empress Dowager stood for reaction. 

Li Hung Chang was removed from the scene and sent 
to Canton, where he was the Viceroy of the two Kwang 
provinces, but this concession only strengthened the 
power of the Empress. 

Kwang Su pitched his tent with the reformers, and by 
this act erected his own scaffold. He offended the 
ancient literati of China, and struck a blow at Confucian- 
ism that the scholars of the Flowery Empire could not 
condone. They went over in a body to the Empress. 

The last straw which broke the back of the Dowager's 
patience was a report that the Emperor had ordered her 
to be imprisoned in her palace and forbid her having 



The Empress Dowager. 191 

anything to do with the government. It was then that 
she sent for Yung Li, her friend and head of the army, 
and the Emperor was seized and confined in August, 
1898. He was afterward forced to sign an edict restor- 
ing the Empress to power. 

The arrangements for this coup were carried out with 
great ceremony. Kwang Su's principal crime, aside 
from his proclivity for reform, was his age. The Em- 
press had no use for an Emperor who was old enough to 
think. She therefore looked about for another puppet, 
a child, to keep under her regency. One was discovered 
in Pu-Ts'u-an, a nine-year-old boy, the son of the Duke 
Tsai-Lu. It did not matter that he could only speak 
Mantchu ; in fact, it would not have mattered if he had 
been deaf and dumb. 

The Empress' mode of procedure was worthy of her 
strategic ability. She forced Kwang Su to draw up a 
memorial addressed to herself to be allowed to resign his 
throne on account of chronic illness. It was then ar- 
ranged that the Empress should refuse to permit him to 
resign and ask him to reconsider for the good of the 
nation. He was then to reiterate his request and, after 
three times, the Empress was to accept with a great show 
of reluctance. 

On September 28, 1898, she openly seized the reins of 
power, in pursuance of an edict issued in His Majesty's 
name. Six of the men who had prominently supported 
him in his scheme of reform were put to death. 

In the same year, the Empress Dowager received 
Prince Henry of Prussia face to face, instead of listening 
behind a screen, as was usual. She even shook him by 
the hand, a thing heretofore unknowm in Chinese history. 

Prince Henry suggested that the Empress Dowager 
should receive the ladies of the diplomatic corps. There 
were many difficulties in the way, but they were finally 



192 The Empress Dowager. 

overcome, and a reception was held that year, followed 
by another the next year. The young Empress Yehonola 
was not even heard of in the matter. 

The reception itself, however, was very interesting, as 
will be seen by the following account given by a lady 
who was in attendance and related by her to Mr. Frank 
G. Carpenter : ^ 

*'The reception was remarkable in that it was the first 
ever given to foreign ladies, and also in that we were the 
first foreign women Her Majesty had ever seen, as up to 
that time no foreign woman had ever been in the palace. 

*'The reception required a long time for its arrange- 
ment. There were no rules of procedure and the leading 
Chinese officials and their wives labored over it for weeks. 
They held many conferences with the foreign Ministers, 
but after a time all was satisfactorily arranged and the 
day for the call was set. It was decided that we should 
meet at the house of Lady McDonald, the wife of the 
British Minister, and that she as doyenne of the diplo- 
matic corps should lead the procession. 

''The reception was held in the daytime. This w^as 
contrary to the usual custom of the palace, where the 
audiences are usually at night or about daybreak.- It was 
at ten o'clock when we assembled at ):he British Legation 
and we were taken from there to the Imperial City by a 
mounted escort of Chinese soldiers. Each of us rode in 
an official chair carried by four Chinamen in livery, and 
each was accompanied by two of the petty Chinese of- 
ficials, or mapoos, belonging to her legation. 

"There were seven ladies in all, and the procession 
made up of these chairs, those of the interpreters, and 
the regiment of Chinese cavalry w^as a long one. It took 
its way slowly through the wide streets of the Tartar City 
and on into the Imperial City to the gates of the Forbid- 
den City, the Holy of Holies of the Chinese Empire, and 



The Empress Dowager. 193 

to the place in which the palaces of the Emperor and his 
Court are. We were taken through great walls, across 
moats, over bridges of marble, past many guards and 
officials of different rank. 

''At the gate of the Forbidden City the chairs were 
halted and we all got out. Here we found the toy rail- 
road train given by the French to the Emperor waiting 
for us, with a crowd of eunuchs ready to push it over the 
track. There are several thousand of them employed 
about the palace. 

''We entered the cars and were carried over a little 
railroad, through a vast extent of beautiful gardens, by 
lakes and wdnding streams, past one great palace after 
another, and at last stopped at what I might call the Hall 
of Audience. Here we found a large number of the 
ladies of the palace aw^aiting us. They were beautifully 
dressed in Mantchu costume and with them were many 
eunuchs. We were met by the ladies and conduc,ted by 
them up the stairs into a large room, at the back of which, 
on a platform with a little table in front of her, sat the 
Empress Dowager. 

"Her Majesty was dressed in a pale yellow silk gown, 
beautifully embroidered w^ith flowers and dragons of the 
same color. She wore the headdress commonly worn by 
elderly Chinese w^omen, her hair being fastened in a knot 
at the back just below the crown, the front of the head 
and a part of the forehead being concealed by a silk band 
heavily embroidered with pearls of large size. 

"I was struck with Her Majesty's youthful appearance. 
She was sixty-four, but she looked ten years younger. 
Her face was plump and free from wrinkles. She had a 
high forehead, elongated perhaps by the custom of the 
Chinese ladies of pulling out the hairs at the edge of the 
forehead with tweezers. She had a strong face and in 
youth must have been very pretty. During the audience 



194 'Tlie Empress Dowager. 

she frequently smiled, and I could see no signs of that 
cruelty of disposition with which she has been charged. 

'^Beside the Empjess Dowager sat the Emperor, a 
pale, delicate-looking Chinese youth, and behind her 
were many young Mantchu princesses clad in gay cos- 
tumes, with their hair done up in the gorgeous butterfly 
fashion common to the Court. All of these waiting 
m.aids were delicately painted and powdered. The Em- 
press Dowager was not. 

''Lady McDonald made the address in behalf of the 
foreign ladies. She spoke in English and her words were 
translated into Chinese by the interpreter of the British 
Legation. Her Majesty replied in an address which was- 
read by Prince Ching, the Premier of the Empire, and 
which was thereupon translated into English. In this 
address Her Majesty made us welcome to the palace and 
to China. She said she was glad indeed to receive us as 
foreigners, and that we should be friendly with one an- 
other, for were we not all of one family ? 

''After this Prince Ching presented us each in turn to 
Her Majesty, and we were then taken into a great ban- 
quet hall, where the Empress Dowager and the score and 
more of princesses sat down to dinner. The banquet was 
fine, being made up of many courses and consisting of 
both Chinese and foreign dishes. Each lady was sup- 
plied with chop sticks and a knife and fork and could 
use which she pleased. 

"After the banquet the Empress Dowager again met 
informally with the ladies, drinking tea with each of them 
in turn, and in some cases throwing her arm abou^ o:ie 
and embracing her. 

"At this time she gave each lady a present of ?. he-Mri- 
ful gold ring set with a pearl as big as a marrov^^ 7 -a, 
three silk dresses from the royal looms aiv: ^ ~ ' ' o 
dozen combs. Throughout the whole audier as 



The Empress Dowager. 195 

exceptionally gracious, and her manners were as polite 
and affable and at the same time as dignified and lady- 
like as could be those of any empress of Europe." 

Mile, de Giers is the daughter of the Russian Ambas- 
sador to China. She naturally has had many oppor- 
tunities of observing the Empress Dowager, and she 
gives a picture of her which may be, probably is, preju- 
diced, but which is decidedly pleasing. 

Mile de Giers says : 

*'The Empress Dow^ager is neither the monster nor the 
incomparable Semiramis which writers have alternately 
pictured her. Like other sovereigns I know, she has a 
natural aversion to being stared at, and avoids foreigners, 
who, she thinks, regard her as nothing more than a curi- 
ous or ferocious animal. European monarchs delight in 
popular applause. The Lords of the Middle Kingdom 
have got over this childish craving. The Regent, in 
particular, doesn't care for the handclaps and cheers of 
the multitude. She is a fatalist, a self-satisfied and self- 
sufficient Oriental to the backbone. Holding unham- 
pered sway over four hundred millions of people and an 
area of probably twice the size of Europe, the constitu- 
tional monarchs of the old world are but poor apologies 
for sovereignty in her eyes. 

^'Personally the Dowager is charming. The many ab- 
surd portraits published of her made her look like a 
woman of thirty or forty — she is seventy if she is a day. 
That should suffice to silence those tales of a regime by 
favorites. I have seen Her Majesty twice officially, at 
her grand birthday reception in 1899 and at the last New 
Year's congratulation 'cour.' I have often met her in 
private. On these occasions she struck me as a grand 
dame of irreproachable manners, and as a wide-awake, 
active, and well-balanced business woman. 

"Our reception differed from those given at European 



196 Tlie Empress Dowager. 

courts only in that it was more hearty and attended by 
greater generosity. On reaching the imperial apart- 
ments, each lady had three maids assigned to her, and 
pleasanter, more efficient abigails I never met with. 
They were very pretty girls, dainty of face and figure, and 
most becomingly dressed. One or two of the girls wore 
silk gowns of such exquisite beauty that our court dresses 
looked quite cheap beside them. 

"The Empress Dowager occupied the principal chair 
on the throne, the sickly, weak Emperor was seated to 
her left, a step lower down. Both were dressed almost 
alike in silken gowns, yellow in color, and richly em- 
broidered. The Empress is taller than the average 
Chinese woman, and well proportioned. Her face is 
strong, but kindly. I don't believe this woman capable 
of wanton cruelty. The ceremonial part being over, we 
were ushered into an adjoining apartment, where the 
'wife of the reigning Emperor and the heir presumptive 
were introduced. 

''The young Empress is about tw^enty. She w^as not at 
all embarrassed, but acted naturally. She cordially shook 
us by the hand, like a well-bred American or English 
girl. She is as dainty as a piece of royal Dresden ; her 
face is pretty, without denoting particular smartness. 
She, too, was dressed in the imperial color, yellow, and 
had beautiful diamonds in her black hair. 

''The heir presumptive appeared to be a bright young 
fellow, though the presence of so many strange ladies 
seemed to dampen his spirits. He is healthy, which 
seems to me to be the main thing for a future Emperor. 
If the present incumbent of the imperial throne were not 
a physical wreck things might be quite different in China. 

"Presently the Dowager entered. The young Empress 
ran up and kissed her, the salutation being responded to 
in a motherly fashion. There seemed to be no restraint. 



The Empress Dowager. 197 

If the elder woman governs the Emperor and his family 
with a rod of iron she doesn't show it. 

''The Regent addressed the ladies with the aid of Eng- 
lish and French interpreters. She asked us about mat- 
ters of family, toilet, and woman's progress, and seemed 
singularly well informed on the latter subject, as far as 
Europe and America are concerned. 'All sorts of 
prejudices and economical conditions keep down the 
Chinese women,' she said, 'but reform in that respect is 
only a question of time. The Chinese woman must be 
gradually emancipated ; now she is nothing more than a 
drudge. At the age of eight she must be able to spin ; 
when she is ten she learns weaving, sewing, and embroid- 
ering. Numerous girls of that age make their own living 
and begin saving toward a marriage portion. 

" 'In many poor families,' continued the Empress, 'the 
wife must pay her own keep, besides furnishing her hus- 
band with clothes, shoes, etc. This is equality with a 
vengeance, is it not?' concluded Her Majesty — 'with us, 
women have full liberty to compete with men in the way 
of earning a living, but the advantage is all on the other 
side. Maybe your woman's rights advocates will learn a 
lesson from this, the lesson of not going to extremes.' 

"When we had drunk and eaten, the Empress sent word 
that she would like to take leave of us. We found her 
seated on the throne, a carved chair of exquisite work- 
manship, lacquered in red and partly covered with a 
sable rug. 

" 'I have been genuinely glad to renew your acquaint- 
ance,' she said, 'and hope that I will have the pleasure 
every little while. But if I do not invite you oftener, 
don't think yourself forgotten. I am uncommonly busy 
for a woman — Chinese women have to work hard., and 
the sovereign of this country is kept busier than the poor- 
est coolie. This was a festive day, it will be the source 



198 The Empress Dowager. 

of pleasantest memories for a long while to come/ With 
these kindly words, the Empress stepped from the throne 
and embraced her guests, one after another." 

Professor Douglas, the leading English authority on 
Chinese affairs, whose knowledge of Pekin intrigues is 
said to be invaluable, speaks as follows : 

''Every succeeding telegram from China tends to make 
more plain the fact that the evil in China is the Empress 
Dowager. But the one who is de jure ruler, still exists 
and has earned the good will of all true friends of China 
by his efforts, some undoubtedly hasty and ill-advised, to 
secure the well-being of his country. There can be no 
question which is the lawful sovereign. This being so, 
and since the de facto ruler has show^n such determined 
hostility to all foreigners, threatening collusion of arms, 
it would appear to be only common sense that the foreign 
powers should combine to restore the Emperor to full 
possession of the throne which he never w^holly relin- 
quished. 

"To do this it would of course be necessary to seize 
and hold the person of the Empress, a process which we 
at least are familiar with in the cases of Indian and other 
princes who have shown themselves implacably hostile 
to civilized rule, as she has done. 

*'The. forces at the disposal of the powers are amply 
sufficient for the purpose. As to the place of the Em- 
press' ultimate detention the island of Formosa might be 
suggested. It is within sight of China, though separated 
from it. The Japanese would doubtless make willing 
and careful guards. If this were done, it would then be 
quite possible, thanks to the advances which the edu- 
cated classes have made in knowledge since the Japanese 
war, to surround the restored sovereign with ministers 
\vho might be expected to avoid alike the anti-foreign 



The Empress Dowager. 199 

policy of the Empress on the one hand, and the crude 
legislation of Kung-Yu-Wei on the other." 

One consideration might induce the Empress to desert 
the reactionary cause and throw her influences into die 
opposite scale. The probability is that she has gone 
further than she intended, as she had no idea of the forces 
that were at work. To endanger the dynasty is the last 
thing that she desires. If she could be induced to see 
that the present reactionary policy constitutes a peril for 
the dynasty and the Empire, she might yet be induced to 
halt and to support the Emperor in a policy of reform. 

In January, 1900, the following proclamation, dictated 
of course, if not signed, by the Empress Dowager, was 
issued in the Emperor's own name : 

''While yet in our infancy we were by grace of the Em- 
peror Tung-che chosen to succeed him in the heavy re- 
sponsibilities of head of the whole Empire, and when His 
Majesty died we sought day and night to be deserving 
of such kindness by every energy and faithfulness to our 
duties. We were also indebted to the Empress Dowager, 
who taught and cherished us assiduously, and to her we 
owe our safety to the present day. Now be it also knovv n 
that when we were selected to the throne it was then 
agreed that if ever we should have a son, that son should 
be proclaimed heir to the throne. But ever since last 
year (1898) we have been constantly ill, and it was for 
that reason in the eighth month of that year (the date of 
the coup d'etat) the Empress Dowager graciously ac- 
ceded to our prayers, and took over the reins of govern- 
ment in order to instruct us in our duties. A year has 
now passed and still we find ourselves an invalid, but 
ever keeping in our mind that we do not belong to the 
direct line of succession, 2nd, for the sake of the safety of 
our ancestors, a legal heii should be selected to the 
throne, we again prayed the Empress Dowager to care- 



200 The Empress Dowager. 

fully choose among the members of the imperial clan 
such a one, and this she has done in the person of Pu 
Chun, son of Tsai Yi, Prince Tuan. 

''We hereby command accordingly that Pu Chun, the 
son of Tsai Yi, Prince Tuan, be made heir to the late 
Emperor Tung-che." 

To one who reads between the lines there is a deal of 
subtle irony in this document. 

The present advice of the Emperor's friends at Pekin 
to their partisans in the- provinces is said to be not to 
press the Empress Dowager too hard, but to let her 
escape, if she will, by the loophole w^hich the protests 
have left her in laying the blame on her advisers. 

The primary object is to save Kwang Su. The great 
fear of the reform party is that he may be made way 
with. So long as he is alive, they are contending for 
their rightful sovereign, but his death would undermine 
that standpoint to the Empress' regime. To oppO'Se her, 
if she were ruling legally as regent for a new Emperor, 
would be to rebel, and rebellion is as the sin of witch- 
craft ; the Chinese have it in superstitious dread. 

The Empress Dowager is as cunning an old lady as 
she w^as a cunning slave girl when she captured the Em- 
peror Hien-Fung. With rare tact and diplomacy, she 
shuffled her viceroys from province to'province, and kept 
them where they could secure the greatest possible mu- 
nitions of war and do the least possible harm to her and 
themselves. She put Li Hung Chang out of Chih-li, the 
great imperial province, lest he might become ambitious 
in his old age and seek to grasp the government. 

There is little or no doubt but that the shrewd old 
Empress anticipated, if she did not encourage, the Boxer 
uprising. 

Certainly, what added greatly to the strength of the 
Boxers was the im.perial edict, dated June 6, 1900, which 



The Empress Dowager. 20i 

discussed the whole trouble and cunningly refrained from 
any censure of the Boxers. Fanatics have taken the 
edict as the real expression of the Dowager Empress, 
and they boasted with imperial troops the latter would 
go over to them, an opinion which seems to have been 
well founded by more recent events. 

At the time that the Empress attained the age of sixty, 
in 1894, all the nations represented at Pekin vied with 
each other in doing her honor. Autograph letters were 
written her by all the mmisters and many handsome pres- 
ents were made to her. It would seem that this respect 
and esteem have changed to absolute hate and loathing. 
It is understood that the foreigners in China regard her 
as the ''anti-Christ/' the opponent of progress, the pros- 
pective murderer of the Emperor. 

An eminent American statesman, formerly minister to 
China, says of the Dowager: *'She is one of the great 
women of the world, and will go down to history as the 
compeer of Catharine, Elizabeth and Victoria.'' 

However true this may be, it is impossible to study her 
career without wonder and admiration. ''She is an Em- 
press who has ruled," says the New York Journal ''Great 
men have been her puppets. Li Hung Chang was an 
instrument in her career. She has outlived three right- 
ful heirs of the throne, and has ridden roughshod over 
all who assisted her power. Whether her reign is to 
China's ultimate glory or not, history must pass the final 
verdict. It at least has been the most eventful of its his- 
tory. It has been marked by the greatest wars, the 
greatest progress, and the greatest commercial success 
and religious activity." 



CHAPTER XIV. 

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BE? 

It was in the spring of 1900 that the Boxers began 
their rioting, for in the beginning it was no more .than 
that, but very soon matters assumed a far more serious 
aspect. 

The mass of reports from Pekin is so divergent and 
contradictory that the undisputed or apparently estab- 
lished facts must be winnowed out and these examined 
in the light of an international situation. 

As we know, a hatred of the foreigners has long been 
prevalent in China, and outbreaks have been frequent 
where the local authorities were in sympathy with it. 

The repression of such disorders has hitherto been 
due rather to a lack of power than a lack of will on the 
part of the Imperial Government. 

'Tt is a peculiarity of the present disturbances/' says an 
editorial in the New York Sun, ''that, according to the 
unanimous testimony of foreign observers, the 'Boxers 
have not been discouraged, but more or less openly fo- 
mented by the preponderant power at the Court of Pekin 
and by the Empress Dowager herself. Certain oflficial 
proclamations addressed to provincial governors seem 
explicable only on the theory that the uprising has been 
regarded with favor in high places. This probably ac- 
counts for the fact that the present movement, unlike 
previous organized rebellions, does not aim at the de- 
position of the Mantchu dynasty. Therein lies a funda- 
mental difference between the so-called Boxers and the 



What Will the Future Be? 203 

Tac-pings of forty years ago. Apparently the leaders of 
the reactionary Mantchu party and the Empress Dow- 
ager herself are not alarmed at the growing power and 
aggressiveness of the Boxers, but would rather welcome 
the semblance of coercion at their hands as a pretext for 
the suspension of the concessions lately made to foreign 
powers and foreign individuals, in the matter of internal 
navigation, fiscal reforms and railway or mining privi- 
leges. That a belief in the success of such a policy 
should be widely entertained would be incredible were 
it not known that many of the Mantchu ruling class are 
as blind to China's weakness to-day as they were when 
they rushed heedlessly into a hopeless war with Japan. 
It is sheer stupidity that has prompted the impassive or 
irresolute attitude assumed by the Empress Dowager and 
her Mantchu advisers toward the outrages committed by 
the Boxers. The court of Pekin cannot be credited with 
the astuteness which on former occasions has led such 
men as Li Hung Chang to count upon the conflicting 
interests and the resultant discord of the Western 
powers." 

Now for a summary of what the Boxers have accom- 
plished at the present time of writing. 

On June 4, the American Minister to China, Mr. Conr- 
ger, telegraphed: ^'Outside Pekin the murders and perse- 
cutions of the Boxers seem to be on the increase. The 
Paoting Railway is temporarily abandoned. Work on 
the Pekin and Hangkow line is stopped. All foreign- 
ers have fled. The Chinese Government seems either 
unwilling or unable to suppress the trouble. The troops 
show no energy in attacking the Boxers.'' 

German, Austrian and Russian forces were sent to 
Pekin. 

Editorially, the London Times pointed out the ne- 



204 What Will the Future Be ? 

cessity for Great Britain taking the lead in strong meas- 
ures, saying: ''We should rejoice to do this, i. e., take 
the lead, in company with our American kinsfolk, the 
only Western nation whose interests in the Far East are 
in most respects identical with our own ; but that, of 
course, is a matter for them to decide. In any case, we 
must assert our hegomony on penalty of forfeiting it, and 
we must assert it with energy and dispatch. Happily the 
Naval Brigade from our fleet in Chinese waters afifords us 
the means needed for this step at the briefest possible 
notice/' 

The Chinese officials had at first affected to laugh at 
the movement, but they were awakened — if awakening 
It really was — by the murder of Brigadier-General Yang, 
one of our ablest and most honest of Chinese generals. He 
had been ordered to investigate the outrages on Chris- 
tians at Kaoli. Evidently he fancied that the Boxers 
were like other malcontents whom he had suppressed 
in the past with troops or bribery, for he advanced to 
their headquarters at Laidhui with only thirty troopers. 
On his arrival there the Boxers sent him an invitation to 
visit their leader and hold a conference. Yung's troop- 
ers tried to dissuade him from going alone to this con- 
ference, but he was fearless, and, dismounting, walked 
up a hill toward the rebel camp under the guidance of 
the Boxer envoy. He disappeared over a hill, was led 
into a ravine, and there was speared in the back by the 
treacherous Boxers. As is usual with the Chinese, his 
body was horribly mutilated. 

On June 9 a cable dispatch came from Pekin saying 
that the situation in Northern China was appalling, and 
that frightful reports of butcheries of Christians came 
from the country. The native government had refused 



What Will tlie Future Be? 205 

further aid to the foreigners, and in every instance the 
troops furnished by the native government had deserted 
to the Boxers. The foreign ministers now recognized, 
too late, that all previous Chinese promises and edicts 
had been deceptive. 

The dispatch ended with the following thrilling words: 

''Arouse the Christian world immediately to our peril. 
Should this arrive too late, avenge us.'' 

Many more reports of the massacre of Christian mis- 
sionaries continued to come in. 

^ Under date of Tongku, June 13, the following dispatch 
was received from Admiral Kempflf : 

''Twenty-five hundred men are on the road to Pekin 
for the relief of the legations; one hundred are Ameri- 
cans. English and Russians in large majority; all na- 
tions here represented." 

Cablegrams were also received, stating that American 
lives and interests were seriously imperiled in North 
China, and urging the government to act promptly and 
vigorously with adequate force. 

On June 18, the Ninth Regiment of United States 
regulars was ordered from Manila to China. 

At the same time it was reported that the Pekin le- 
gations were taken, and fears were entertained for the 
safety of the ministers and their families. 

Tien-tsin was now in ruins, and anarchy seemed to 
prevail at Pekin. 

The Boxer movement was growing to be the sole 
power in the empire. 

The United States then ordered Admiral Remey to go 
with the Brooklyn to Taku, and to tender to General 
MacArthur conveyance of any army troops which the 
^Brooklyn could carry. 



2o6 What Will the Future Be? 

Admiral Seymour, who was commanding the Pekin 
rehef force, managed to estabUsh heliograph communica- 
tion on June 2.J. He said that he was hard pressed and 
sent urgent appeal for more forces. He also stated that 
the legations were safe. 

Seymour, however, failed to reach Pekin and after 
two weeks' hard fighting, was forced to retreat to Tien- 
tsin, which had been captured by the allies. 

On June 30, Admiral Kempff cabled: 

''Ministers at Pekin were given twenty-four hours to 
leave on the 19th. They refused, and are still there.'' 

The Chinese Ambassador, Wu, at Washington, had 
advices to the same effect. 

On July I, there, came very serious news indeed. 
Baron von Ketteler, the German Ambassador, had been 
butchered on June 18. 

The minister was riding on Legation street when he 
was attacked by Chinese troops and Boxers, dragged 
from his horse and killed. His body was hacked to 
pieces with swords. 

The German legation and other buildings were 
burned, a number of legation servants killed, and their 
bodies thrown into the flames. 

A dispatch from Yu Lu, the viceroy of Chih-!i prov- 
ince, dated June 26, stated that the other ministers were 
safe that morning, but the situation was desperate, and 
he doubted whether the ministers could hold out twenty- 
four hours longer, as he and the Empress could no 
longer give protection. 

A modem crusade was now genuinely in progi'ess, 
and a larger, much larger, number of allies were com- 
bined against one power than had ever been known be- 
fore in the history of the world. 



What Will the Future Be ? 207 

On July 2, Admiral Bruce reported that the foreign 
forces landed at Taku up to June 30 were: 

Officers. Men. 

United States 20 329 

Great Britain 184 1 700 

Germany = 44 i ,300 

Austria 12 127 

Italy 7 131 

France 17 387 

Russia 117 5>8i7 

Japan 119 3,709 

Total of allied forces o . . . . 520 13,500 

Two secret imiperial decrees fell. about this time into 
the hands of the foreigners. 

The first, dated June 20, attributed the trouble to re- 
ligious fanaticism against Christians, leading to violent 
outbreaks which the government was unable to suppress; 
said that foreign troops were between Taku and Pekin, 
and the foreign relations had reached a desperate point, 
and called upon all the viceroys and governors to show 
their loyalty to the throne and to raise armies and funds 
in defense of Pekin and to defeat foreign dictation. 

The second, dated June 21, eulogized the Boxers as 
loyal and true men, who, though not soldiers, had de- 
feated the foreigners advancing on Pekin, and com- 
manded officials to co-operate heartily in the patriotic 
work. 

The American, Italian and Dutch legations vx^ere now 
burned. There were at this time (July 3) twenty thousand 
Chinese soldiers inside Pekin, and thirty thousand out- 
side. 

The greatest anxiety now prevailed as to the safety of 
the members of the legations, and it seemed almost cer- 
tain that all the members had been murdered. 



2o8 What Will the Future Be ? 

Including the guards, about six hundred persons were 
connected with the legations, and there were two hun- 
dred other foreigners in the city beside the missionar- 
ies who had taken refuge there. 

Of course, the greatest excitement and fury prevailed 
in Berlin over the murder of Baron von Ketteler. The 
Kaiser at once dispatched four ships and many soldiers 
to China. He also did a clever thing in appealing to 
Chinese cupidity by offering a reward of a thousand 
dollars for every foreigner in Pekin delivered alive to a 
German magistrate. 

Addressing the detachment of German marines which 
sailed for China, the Kaiser said: 

''I will not rest until the German flag, joined to those 
of the other powers, floats triumphantly over China's 
flag, and until it has been planted on the walls of Pekin 
to dictate peace to the Chinese. You will have to main- 
tain good comradeship with all the other troops that you 
will come in contact with over yonder. Russians, Brit- 
ish and French all alike, are fighting for one common 
cause — for civilization. We must bear in mind, too, 
something higher, namely, our religion, and the defense 
and protection of our brothers out there, some of whom 
stake their lives for the Saviour.'' 

Prince Tuan, the father of the heir apparent, was now 
at the head of the Chinese forces. He is rabidly anti- 
foreign, and to him is attributed an order to all viceroys 
to attack foreigners. He conferred honors and gave 
large sums of money and other presents to the leaders 
of the troops who drove back Admiral Seymour. 

On July 5 the naval forces of the nations in Chinese 
waters were as follows: 

, Battle- Armored 

Countries, ships, cruisers. 
United States... i i 

Great Britain... 3 3 

Russia 3 5 

France — — 

Germany .... — 2 

Italy — — 

Austria — 



Gun- 


Destroy- 


Cruisers. boats 


. ers. 


Crews. 


I 5 


— 


3.500 


6 16 


5 


7350 


3 9 


3 


6730 


4 3 




2,800 


6 I 


— 


3.500 


2 — 


— 


150 


• 
I 


— 


150 



What Will the Future Be? 209 

Practically all of Japan's navy was in these waters, 
She has six battleships, three armored cruisers, ten coast- 
defense ships, fifteen gunboats and an extensive torpedo 
flotilla. 

China's navy consists of five cruisers of the modern 
type, sixteen gunboats and about twenty torpedo boats. 

On July 7 orders were issued at the War Depart- 
ment, in Washington, for the immediate dispatch of 
6,254 regulars from the United States to the Far East. 

On the morning of July 9 the London Times printed 
the following: 

"We learn from a private message from Canton that 
I.i Hung Chang has telegraphed directly to the Chinese 
Minister in London, urging him to request the British 
Government to approach the United States Government 
with a view to a joint invitation to Japan to co-operate 
in the maintenance of the Chinese Empire and the estab- 
lishment of a strong government on a solid basis, the 
three then uniting in an appeal to all the other powers.'' 

With the military contingents then at sea, the allies 
would soon have 50,000 men ashore. 

It looked very much now as if there were to be civil 
war in China, Prince Ching standing out for the dynasty 
and the old order against Prince Tuan's inordinate am- 
bition. 

During the following month, there were reports and 
counter-reports, some of which were afterward denied and 
none of which could be verified. 

It is interesting, however, to print an interview which 
Frederick Palmer had with Li Hung Chang in Shanghai, 
July 28. He said : 

*'The members of the legations are still alive, but an ad- 
vance of the allied troops upon Pekin from Tien-tsin 
would probably be the death herald of every white man 
in Pekin. 

''Then the conservative element would be entirely over- 
powered by the radicals. 

''The causes of the present situation were the lack of 
backbone and a wrong policy on the part of the Chinese 
Government, while the drastic measures of the foreign 
powers aggravated the situation. 

"We thank the Americans for their friendship, which 



2IO What Will the Future Be? 

we have always appreciated, and Admiral Kempff for his 
justice and forbearance in refusing to join in the bom- 
bardment of the Taku forts. 

'*We are trusting America to stand by the integrity of 
the Chinese empire. 

''I will say that if the powers do attempt to partition 
China, then the southern and central provinces, which are 
now peaceful, will no longer be neutral, but all the 
Chinese of all classes will fight the foreigners with every 
means in their power. 

"With a strong hand to fight for the policy of the in- 
tegrity of the empire it can be maintained and efficient 
reforms can be made.'' 

Despite his extreme age, it is generally understood that 
Prince Li's ambition is to have a foreign army at his dis- 
posal to pacify the rebellious districts and maintain order 
throughout the empire after the present insurrection is 
suppressed. 

I asked him if he could restore order with twenty thou- 
sand white troops. 

"With less," he answered. 

"The Boxers are a rabble not to be considered. I would 
turn to my side the imperial troops, too, but the powers do 
not want them and would not permit it. 

''I do not know when I shall go to Tien-tsin to take up 
my duties as Viceroy of the Metropolitan province of 
Chih-H." 

And now just a few words as to the attitude of Russia 
in the present situation. 

From the time that Li Hung Chang was appointed the 
representative of the Chinese throne at the coronation of 
the Russian Emperor, there has been more or less sus- 
picion among the other powers. It was about that time 
that Sir Nicholas O'Connor told Prince Kung in blunt 
language that unless he and his countrymen altered their 
methods and mended their ways, he should not be sur- 
prised if within five years he heard of Prince Kung being 
a beggar on the streets of Pekin. At that time many 
thought that there was a deep laid project under the ap- 
pointment of the great viceroy. 

By the way, the officials of Washington are beginning 
to share Europe's distrust of Li Hung Chang. His ac- 



What Will the Future Be? 211 

tions and utterances are not regarded as in keeping with 
his protestations of affection and enhghtenment.- 

To return to Russia. Great Britain especially is in- 
clined to be feverishly 'suspicious of Muscovite designs, is 
inclined to imagine that the position taken by the Em- 
press Dowager may have been instigated by Russia. But, 
in our opinion, there is little or no reason for holding this 
belief. As a matter of fact, so far as the maintenance of 
order in China and the fulfillment of concessions are con- 
cerned, the interests of all the Western powers, including 
those of Russia, are, for the moment, identical. 

Ho Yow is the Chinese Consul General at San Fran- 
cisco. He is the most important Chinese official . in 
America, next to Minister Wu at Washington. His 
brother-in-law was Minister Wu's predecessor as envoy 
in thfs country. 

What he has to say, therefore, is of the greatest interest 
and importance, and fotr that reason we reprint here some 
remarks of his in regard to the present crisis; 

''The powers would need an army of 250,000 men to 
subdue the one northern province in which fighting is 
now going on. 

''Shantung province is notable for its men of fine 
physique and stature. That province could probably 
place in the field nearly 10,000,000 men closely approach- 
ing six feet in height. 

"Whatever China may have been in the past, she is no 
insignificant enemy to cope with to-day. The Chinamen 
are well armed and well supplied with weapons of the 
latest pattern, many of them manufactured in our own 
great arsenals. 

"I am positive from the dispatches I have received 
that it was the original intention of both the government 
and the Boxers to* respect the Pekin legations. Other- 
wise, it would have been easy to attack them before June 
20. I am sure the government was putting forth every 
effort to protect them. 

"To-day I cannot speak so confidently. The bombard- 
ment of the Taku forts has changed the whole situation. 
As soon as the tidings of that act of hostility reached 
Pekin I fear the forces which up to that moment had 
been held in control by the government may have be- 



212 What Will the Future Be? 

come frenzied and beyond control, for they would reason 
that they were to be punished anyway, and all reason for 
restraint would then have been gone. 

"It seems to have been a fatal mistake of the powers to 
take that aggressive step before landing forces enough to 
support it or follow it up. They stirred up a beehive 
when not in a position to accomplish anything. Instead 
of relieving the legations in Pekin, they aggravated the 
situation, stirring up an ignorant and maddened populace 
to frenzy. 

''What effect a different policy would have had on the 
Chinese is, I think, exemplified in the attitude which Li 
Hung Chang, China's most progressive and influential 
statesman, has taken toward your Admiral Kempff, who 
refused to join in the bombardment. 

"Ia has invited the American admiral to accompany 
him on his mission to Pekin for the purpose of pacifying 
the Chinese, and has expressed the desire that the United 
States act as an int'ermediary in the settlement of the 
troubles. 

''Admiral Kempff made a fine demonstration of wisdom 
in declining to join in f)recipitating hostilities at Taku, 
for his nation. 

"At the same time he showed good military judgment, 
for an act of aggression was as useless as it was danger- 
ous to the interests back of it. 

"The origin of the whole trouble is interference with 
our religion in China. Good missionaries merely waste 
their energies and incense the people." 

Now, when the alli'^d powers have conquered, as they 
undoubtedly will in the end, although there may be a 
long and desperate struggle before the question will un- 
doubtedly come up: What shall be done with the van- 
quished ? 

That eminent member of Parliament, Mr. James Bryce, 
answers the question very forcibly, from one point of 
view, when he says that the European powers have an 
artificial situation to deal with in China, and will find it 
extremely hard to set up any sovereign and to keep him 
on the throne when he is set up, with the assent of the 
people and with the support of the natural forces. The 
strongest of these natural forces is the traditional respect 



What Will tlie Future Be? 213 

for the imperial office, which has a rehgious character, 
and which represents the national life of China. Will 
that respect attach to a monarch who owes his crown to 
the "outside barbarians?" 

Will he not be regarded as their puppet ? 

The other part of the task, continues Mr. Bryce, is at 
least as difficult, and in a certain sense more full of men- 
acing possibilities. The European powers are alt present 
in accord under the presstire of immediate danger. They 
have got to save the lives of their representatives and sub- 
jects at Pekin, and to prevent the attacks of the natives 
in the other cities where the Europeans dwell. But 
when this has been accomplished, their jealousies will re- 
vive, and the struggle between their respective schemes 
and interests, which has been going on for years past, 
may pass into a more acute phase. They will probably 
be obliged to choose some one to sit upon the throne, 
and the candidate favored by any one of them may be 
suspected by the others. If the monarch is personally 
insignificant, as is likely to be the case, they will have to 
choose advisers to rule in his name. Will they be able 
to agree in the choice of such advisers ? There is noth- 
ing in poHtics so difficult, nothing so prolific of misunder- 
standings and suspicions which may ultimately lead to 
war as the attempt of several mutually jealous powers to 
exert joint control over some other government or ter- 
ritory. And it is chiefly for this reason that those in 
Europe who look beyond the immediate business of res- 
cue and protection into the problems which the future 
may bring upon us, and bring before long, deem those 
problems to be among the hardest which statesmen in 
our day have been called upon to face. 

There is one thing upon which all are generally agreed, 
and that is that partition of China will not be tolerated. 

The division of China among the powers would be 
highway robbery, while the restoration of the Emperor 
to his lawful authority would be an act of justice. The 
partition of China among the powers would be resisted 
by the best of the Chinese and would invoke the natives 
in a universal war. The restoration of the Emperor 
under foreign protection would encourage all patriotic 



214 What Will the Future Be? 

Chinamen, and would do more to promote peace than a 
dozen peace congresses. 

There seems, in short, to be one inference naturally to 
be dedvicted from the facts and the international situation, 
is the opinion of the New York Sun. All the foreign 
powers interested in China, including Russia, and not, 
of course, excluding Japan, will co-operate to compel the 
court of Pekin to protect Christian missionaries and to 
give adequate compensation for the wrongs already 
wrought. 

Should the Empress Dowager and her Mantchu favor- 
ites be recalcitrant or impotent, it will be needful for the 
powxrs to take concerted measures for the establishment 
at Pekin of a better disposed or stronger government. 

This probably could be effected by the relegation of 
the Empress Dowager to the retirement from which, ac- 
cording to precedent, she should not have emerged after 
the reigning Emperor attained his majority, and by the 
reinstatement in full authority of Kwang Su, supported by 
representatives of the progressive party which undoubt- 
edly exists in China. 

Now let us. consider the opinions of two very different 
men, and yet with some curious points of contact. 

The first consists of a letter written by Bishop Crans- 
ton, the eminent missionary bishop who has just returned 
from China, and who writes as follows : 

''I regard it as the imperative duty of the United States 
to take prompt and effective measures to protect the lives 
and property of American citizens now in Pekin or else- 
where. The location of the legation property at Pekin, 
as well as the missionary compounds, is such as to make 
attack easy and destruction sure and complete if they are 
attacked in force either by the Chinese troops or mobs, 
unless it should so happen that part of the city wall is 
first possessed by foreign troops. 

"The news to date appears to be conflicting and unre- 
liable and affords no relief to our apprehensions. Un- 
derstanding the helplessness of foreigners living between 
Taku and Pekin we can understand that there is even 
greater peril to the small allied forces seeking to relieve 
Pekin. An enraged Chinese mob once victorious is no 
more likely to give quarter than a band of American In- 



What Will the Future Be? 215 

dians. The Chinese people think they have many griev- 
ances against foreigners, and whenever and wherever 
they find an opportunity for revenge they may be ex- 
pected to take it with interest. It is the foreigners rather 
than the missionaries that the Chinese detest. The work 
of Protestant missionaries has tended to molHfy the bit- 
terness of their feeUngs. Considering all the circum- 
stances, it is remarkable how long and how safely they 
have conducted their work in the midst of such a people, 
who have been provoked to so many demonstrations of 
violence by the action of foreign governments. 

''.It m.ust be remembered that the Chinese regard all 
outsiders as barbarians and their own government and 
social organization as perfect. Everything at variation 
therewith they regard not only as an innovation but as 
sacrilegious to the memory of their ancestors, from whom 
they think they inherited the best possible condition of 
society and the highest wisdom as well. It must further 
be taken into account that the concessions for railroad 
and mining enterprises w^hich have been granted from 
time to time have been exacted under pressure, and that 
such things are directly contrary to their superstitious 
beliefs. All mining operations or excavations for any 
purpose whatever are supposed to interfere with the busi- 
ness prosperity, health and even life of the Chinese. 
Their widespread belief that it is the policy of the nations 
to dismember the empire has produced a condition bor- 
dering on frenzy. 

"I do not know of any missionary or foreigner resident 
in China who has any respect or sympathy for the Em- 
press Dowager, but many thoughtful people have great 
sympathy for the Chinese, who are in the main frugal 
and industrious. I hope the joint action of all the powders 
w^ill place the young Emxperor on his throne, even if a 
protectorate is necessary. It is the obvious duty of the 
civilized world to make a strong demjonstration of force 
and use it, if necessary, to protect the helpless women and 
children who are now^ in the gravest peril. There should 
be no quibbling over governmental red tape and consid- 
eration for trer^ties should not stand in the way. 

'T desire to see our governm.ent take its place by the 
side of the other nations of the world and demonstrate 



2i6 What Will the Future Be? 

fully the boasted protection of the American flag. The 
American people will stand by the administration in the 
most vigorous measures it may take to suppress these 
outbreaks, and no price is too great to pay in such a 
cause. Politics and diplomacy should not be forgotten 
in the instant demand for the relief of the little bands 
that for the last two weeks have been tortured by the yells 
of bloodthirsty mobs if they have not actually fallen vic- 
tims to their ferocity. 

''I do not hesitate to say that, whether considered from 
a commercial, governmental or humanitarian standpoint, 
China as a country is worth all that it may cost the na- 
tions to make her w^orthy of a place in the sisterhood of 
empires. She is a world problem as well as a coming 
force of mighty proportions. It is better to deal with 
her rationally and justly, even though it may be neces- 
sary to use great force, and even require that she be made 
the ward for the time being of all the other nations of 
the world.'' 

The other opinion is that of Chin Ging, a member of 
the Board of Directors of the Chinese Empire Reform 
Association, and an ardent admirer of the dethroned 
Emperor Kwang Su. 

Chin Ging says, among other things : 

''Never before in the history of the Old World have 
matters looked so serious for China. Still, I am a 
strong believer in the somewhat ambiguous axiom that 
everything is for the best, and it seems to me quite 
within the possibilities that Qiina may emerge from this 
fire test rehabilitated, reformed and modernized by the 
severe lesson she must absorb. 

''What, then, is to become of the innocent, law-abiding 
subjects of the ancient empire? In my opinion they have 
but one hope for salvation — and the remedy has al- 
ready been accepted by at least seventy per cent, of the 
people of Southern China — they must enroll under the 
banner of the allied powers ; be guided by them, and fight 
themselves out of this difficulty. This course was made 
feasible by the organization of the Chinese Empire Re- 
form Association, of w^hich the writer is proud to claim 
membership. Although this band of true patriots has 
.existed but two years, so rapid has been its progress that 



What Will the Future Be? 217 

it now boasts a membership of at least 20,000,000, and 
its affairs are being managed by the wise heads who 
constituted the progressive minority of Emperor Kwang 
Su's Cabinet. These leaders have chosen the friendly 
cities of Singapore and Macao as their basis of opera- 
tions, and through their untiring efforts are daily in- 
creasing the membership of the association and adding 
strength and dignity to the cause; especially may this 
be said regarding the writings of Kang Yu-Wei, the 
most broad-minded Chinese scholar of this generation. 
It is the determination of this organization to join forces 
with the civilized nations of the world and march to 
the North, subduing all lawless marauders en route, until 
the capital is reached. When Pekin has been reached 
they ask that Kwang Su may be restored to his throne, 
to rule his people under a protectorate of the joint 
powers. 

'T can see nothing unreasonable in the laudable desires 
of our association, and I feel convinced that all reason- 
ing men, Vv^ho are not victims of old-established preju- 
dices, will agree with me when I claim for our body the 
same sympathy that would be given to the people of any 
other nation under similar circumstances. 

''Kwang Su, our suffering Emperor, is a wise, honest, 
progressive man. Why not restore him to his throne, 
thereby insuring reform and civilization for 400,000,000 
human beings ?" 

Now, to take a rapid glance at the situation so far as 
the United States is concerned : 

Independent action by the United States against China 
in the present situation is regarded in Europe as abso- 
lutely impossible. Limited or partial American co-opera- 
tion in dealing with the crisis can be scarcely tolerated. 
The United States must use all its available resources 
in the Far East as freely as all the other powers will do, 
or keep aloof altogether from concerted action with the 
powers. 

Our ow^n country, on the other hand, and from the 
point of view in the United States, does well to act inde- 
pendently, so long as there is no distinct assurance that the 
powers mean to respect the integrity of the empire and the 
liberty of the people. 



2i8 What Will the Future Be? 

Our attitude of independence will prevent a division of 
the empire, for China will not be divided if the United 
States of America refuses to permit it. It is to the in- 
terest of England to preserve the integrity of China as 
much as it is to our own, and England would welcome the 
assistance of the United States in preventing the dismem- 
berment of the country. Our independent attitude will 
serve to manifest our disinterestedness, and so our assent 
to a joint protectorate will be the assurance of success. 

The course of the United States is very simple, says the 
Outlook J entirely consistent, and has been followed so far 
with scrupulous care. The United States has no interest 
in China, except to protect the lives and property of its 
citizens ; in order to do this, it ought to be ready to make 
any sacrifices. 

The Administration has acted with courage and 
promptitude, and its action will receive the hearty in- 
dorsement of the whole country. The United States has 
exacted nothing from China and wishes to exact noth- 
ing, except those rights which are conceded to her citi- 
zens and their property under the treaties. She has also 
strongly urged and has succeeded in gaining recognition 
for the policy of equal trade privileges to all nations in 
China, and in securing this important concession the 
American Secretary of State was serving the Chinese 
quite as truly as he was serving the interests of Amer- 
ica. Beyond this, our government has a right, and per- 
haps a duty, to bend its influence to preserve the integrity 
of the empire. If it takes this attitude — and there is 
reason to believe that the Administration accepts this 
view of its responsibilities — it will be in a position to 
act as a mediator, and to aid both the Chinese and the 
powers in securing a satisfactory basis of settlement. 

Having nothing to gain in the way of territory, the 
United States will naturally possess an influence with 
the Chinese which no other power can exert. If it 
uses that influence to preserve the integrity of the empire 
on the one hand, and to open it to legitimate foreign in- 
influence, ideas, and trade, it will be doing its full duty 
to China, to the civilized world and to itself. 

The ideas expressed by Weng Tung Ho, tutor of the 
Emperor, Kwang Su, seem to us to be most sensible 



What Will the Future Be? 219 

and the best of all methods out of the difficulty that we 
have seen expressed. We therefore, in conclusion, quote 
his opinions. Weng Tung Ho says : 

"His Majesty is convinced, through amply trustworthy 
sources, that the loyal support of many scores of mill- 
ions of Chinese will be accorded to his proposals to put 
an end to the state of anarchy brought about by the 
action of the Empress Tsi-an. 

'"The government of China being virtually non-exist- 
ent, the Emperor proposes that the foreign powers whose 
troops dominate the capital, shall remove his imperial 
person from the palace in which His Majesty is con- 
find a prisoner, shall declare Empress Tsi-an and her 
present ministers to be usurpers, and shall bring Em- 
peror Kwang Su to Nankin, Wuchang or Shanghai, 
whichever the said foreign powers deem to be the most 
suitable situation for the new capital of the Chinese Em- 
pire under the new conditions. It is proposed by His 
Majesty and his advisers that the foreign powers should 
declare a joint protectorate and undertake the task of 
governing the coantry through His. Majesty. 

"China is ripe for the change of tide which the reac- 
tionaries vainly seek to stem. If it should be, on the 
other hand, that the foreign powers seriously contemplate 
the dismemberment of the Chinese Empire, they have 
before them the huge task of facing dense millions, who, 
although lacking training and making but contemptible 
soldiers, possess boundless powers of passive resistance, 
and would be able to w^ear out the patience of any Euro- 
pean rulers seeking to govern them without regard to 
their prejudices." 



THE END. 



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84 



The flair: 

Its Growth, Structure, Diseases, 
and How to MaKe it Beautiful. 

'^^ '^^ ^^^ 



In all parts of the civilized world the hair is re- 
garded as essential to beauty. Even the earliest 
A records of ancient history tell 

of the importance of the hair as 
an accessory to human beauty. 
No matter how perfect the fea- 
tures, if a good head of hair is 
lacking, the thought of beauty 
vanishes. On the other hand, 
when the features are far from 
B perfect a beautiful growth of 
hair at once draws the atten- 
tion, and all else is forgotten. 
If your hair is already beau- 
tiful, you should read these 
pages in order to know how 
best to keep it so ; and if it is 
too thin, or is falling out, or 
losing its natural color, or un- 
desirably affected in any way, 
then you certainly should learn 
[O how to correct these evils. 

A HAIfi. A hair consists of 

two parts. The root, which is 

* .^ 1. r. xxt. t. . situated in the skin, and the 

At the shaft of the hair pro- ^ ., ^ • ^ • . i 

fecting above the skin. B* oil Shaft, whlch prOJCCtS abOve it. 

glands. C, the lower end of YVip Tioir rpQfQ in n qqp from 
the sac in the center of which ^ "^^ ^^^^ rCStS in a SaC, irom 

3s the hair bulb. which it is easily pulled. At 

the bottom of this sac is a little eminence called the 
hair bulb. 




A HAIR IN ITS SAC. 



^ 



THE HAIR BULB. Here is the very seat of life for the 
hair. Here it begins its growtho Here the food' 
brought to it by the blood is changed 
into hair stn cture. Here is where 
health for the hair resides, and here 
is where disease begins. It is not 
strange, then, that we should study 
the hair with great ca^- . If we were 
asked the question, * What part of 
the hair does your Renewer most 
affect?'* we would quickly answer, 

** THK HAIR BUIvBc'* 

It goes to the very seat of trouble, 
and corrects diseased conditions. It 
stimulates the parts to healthy action. 
It restores activities long at rest. In 
a word, our Renewer makes this hair 
bulb do precisely the work nature 
intended it to do. 

The illustration shows a minute 
blood-vessel entering and leaving a 
hair bulb. HalTs Hair Renewer in- 
creases the circulation of the blood j\^ 

in these minute vessels, and new life a hair buib, highly 
and vitality enter each hair. New magnified, a biood- 

^ . . -^ . . vessel, A» IS seen en- 

hair IS formed again, by arousing the tering aud leaving 
sleeping powers, and the bald scalp ^^^ ^^^^' 
takes on a new growth of hair. There are a hundred 
things, any one of which will retard or destroy the 
activity of these bulbs. The principal reason, how- 
ever, why they cease to form good hair is want of 
proper nourishment. How can a child grow if it is 
not properly fed ? How can a plant prosper if it does 
not have water? And, in the same sense, how can 
hair be formed and grow unless it has food ? HalTs 
Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer contains just the 
vegetable remedies needed by the bulb for the forma- 
tion of the hair and for its continued life and vigor. 
When these are supplied the hair must grow; it 
must prosper. It cannot help doing so any more 
than a properly fed, healthy child can keep from 
growing. 

If there is any life remaining in the bulb, hair must 




t)e formed when our Renewer is used. But if all life 

is gone, then, of course, there is no hope. Often, 
however, there is a little spark of vitality left, which 
will kindle int full life under this treatment, A 
flower may wither and appear quite dead, and yet 
come into life again, when properly cared for. Hence 
no case of baldness need be so bad that a trial should 
not be made of our Renewer. 

SOFT FUZZY HAIR. In keeping with these facts, is it 
possible to cause a good healthy growth of hair in the 
place of soft fuzzy hair? Most certainly. This kind 
of hair shows that the hair bulb is not properly fed. 
There is enough life and food to form a small and fine 
hair 5, but not enough for a full, natural hair. Our Re- 
newer supplies the deficiency and nature does the rest. 

BALDNESS. How utterly foolish, then, for any one to 
say that ** baldness cannot be cured/' Just as reason- 
able to say that water will not quench thirst, or that 
fire will not burn ! Make the conditions correct and 
the result must come. No single fact is better estab- 
lished than that our Renewer will cure baldness. We 
have freely given you the scientific reasons for this ; 
and we have thousands of testimonials to prove that 
we are correct. 

Mrs. G. A. Matthews, of Weatherford, Texas, gives 
us the following strong testimonial : 

"As a testimonial to your Hall's Sicilian Hair Renewer, I 
want to say, when I was about 22 years old I lost my hair en- 
tirely ; I had the best medical treatment at home, and consulted 
physicians personally in St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati, and 
Fort Worth with no success. By accident I got some of your 
medicine, and before I had used two bottles my hair began to 
grow, which now hangs below my waist, and is soft and healthy. 
My misfortune was so well known in Missouri, California, and 
Texas that, when it became known my hair had grown out after 
twelve years, my husband had numerous letters cf inquiry want- 
ing his receipt and offering to pay largely for 7t. We simply 
replied to all, *Hairs Vegetable Sicilian Hair R' newer did the 
work,' and I know of no case that it has failed to give the best 
results. You may use such parts of this as suits you best.'* 

Solon S. Good, of the ** Enquirer,'* Cincinnati, O., 
wrote us. May 25, 1897: 

**Many years ago, the writer, who had lost almost all his hair, 
had restored to him a luxuriant growth of hair by the asQ of 
^Hall's Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer.' '* 



A. A. Harper, florist, of Pine Blufif, Ark., wrote as 

follows, March 31, 1896: 

"Some time since I had a hard case of fever and was sick for 
seven weeks. When I began to mend my hair came out and left 
me entirely bald. I used one bottle of Hall's Hair Renewer and 
my hair came back as thick as ever. I consider Hall's Hair 
Renewer the finest of hair preparations.'* 

Mr, Kesling, an aged farmer, near Warsaw, Ind., had scarcely 
any hair, what little remained being nearly white. One bottle 
of Hall's Hair Renewer produced a thick and luxuriant growth 
of hair, as brown and fresh as he had in youth. The case is well 
known and attracted much attention. 

FALUNS OF TRE HAID. This is no more than beginning 
baldness. It may cease before all the hair falls out 
or continue until complete baldness results. While 
there are many causes of this difficulty, yet, so far as 
we know, there is but one cure, Hall's Sicilian Hair 
Renewer. Its prompt use will check the hair from 
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remedy long. 

It is important that you should not neglect this 
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eased. Taken in time, it is easily cured, but if 
neglected the cure is not so prompt. One bottle of 
our Renewer at first will save the use of many bottles 
later on. No one need feel badly over this falling of 
tlie hair if within reach of our Renewer, as the cure 
is prompt and permanent. 

Mrs. Katie McNamara, of Corsicana, Texas, writes: 

'^ I wish to assure you that your P.enewer is worth its weight 
in gold to me. My hair was falling out so badly, and I liad 
tried so many different things, but without avail. I will now 
never tire in praising its merits.'* 

Mrs, A. T/Wall, of Greenfield, Cheshire, England, 

writes : 

**I have derived the greatest benefit from the use of Hall's 
Hair Renewer. It stimulated my scalp when the hair was fall- 
ing and produced new and vigorous growth.** 

Mrs. Hunsberry, 344 Franklin Avenue, Brooklyn, 
N. y., writes: 

"After a severe attack of erysipelas in the head, I lost ir; 
hair — already gray — so rapidly that I soon became quite bale 
One bottle of HalVs Vegetable Sicilian Hair Renewer produced 
a new growth of hair, as soft, brown, and thick as when I was a 
girl.** 



W. C. Hauser, of the firm of Wm. C. & J. G. 

Hauser, dealers in drugs, raedicines, etc., Wadley, 
Ga-,, writes us Nov. 27, 1896, as follov/s: 

*' I have used your Hair Renewer for tlie purpose of stopping 
tny hair from falling out and can state that I found it to be Th^ 
thing nee -led. About one year ago my hair began to fall out 
very badly. Having some of your Renewer in stock, I used a 
bottle, and since then have had no trouble on that line. I find, 
too, that your Renewer restores the liair to its natural color.** 

TO SESTORE COLOS. A word concerning the reason 
wh}^ our Renewer changes the color of the hair to its 
natural appearance. The color of the hair is deter- 
mined while it is yet in the skin. When the blood 
supply is wrong or the nerve action deficient, then 
no coloring matter v^^ill be furnished, and the hair 
turns gray or white. When the hair is first beginning 
to turn it imparts a most lifeless and altogether dis- 
agreeable expression to the whole countenance. 

Hairs Sicilian Hair Renewer goes to the root of 
the evil. IT fkkds th:^ hair bulbs, increases the 
BLOOD SUPPLY, and it stimulates nerve action. The 
coloring matter is depc^^ited, and the color of youth 
again appears in the hair. All this is thus easily 
understood when the crplanation is given. We have 
a vast number of test oionials on this point. We can 
only give a few of them here. ^^ 

Alfred Speer, of Passaic, N."'J.,'"says : 

"I am now 68 years old, and liave used your Renewer for 25 
years with perfect success in keeping the hair natural in color, 
even when, fifteen years ago, my beard turned gray and of late 
years turned white by long neglecting to use the Renewer. 
Upon re-using it daily for only a week, the white color was dis- 
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"I have been using your Hair Renewer for about two weeks, 
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marvelous. 



DANQDUFF. Hall's Hair Renewer removes all dan- 
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is no other remedy in the whole world so effectual as 
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dandruff. As dandruff is not only a sign of a diseased 
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positive cure for it, and verify our statement with a 
few testimonials to that effect, although we might 
duplicate these a thousand times. 

R. M. Tucker, M.D., of Helena, Ala., writes us the 
following : 

"I have used Hall's Hair Renewer for the last thirty-£ve 
years and I know it will do all that it is recommended to do. 
It will restore the color, CURE dandruff, and prevent the hair 
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A letter from J. A. Kelley, of Antoine, Ark., April 
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** My hair began falling out very fast, and I believe I would 
have been perfectly bald, but I used two bottles of Hall's Hair 
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the growth and clkanskb The SCAi.p OF dandruff. This was 
four years since, and I now have a good head of hair. I can 
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In May, 1897, we received a letter from J. M. Ran- 
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"I have been using your Hair Renewer for several months 
and find it one of run best cures for dandruff in exist- 
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DOES NOT STAIN. One desirable feature of our Re- 
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IS IT SAFE? 



No one should think for a moment of using any 
preparation on the hair without having- a sufficient 
guarantee that it is free from all caustic properties, 
protected from acid production, and composed of only 
the purest and best of materials. 

A few years ago we had cur preparation examined 
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low the result. During all these years our formula 
has been unchanged; hence this analysis is as good 
today as when it was first issued. 



Wif^^:^^^ j&^fe^jfe^:^ ^^■^jt^^g'L.^^ yg 



STATE ASSAYER'S 

OFFICE 
2© State Stritet, 

BOSTON. 

Ao A. HATES, M.D. 

8. DANA HAYES. 



fJAIX S Siciiiaa 



getable 
Siciii 

I Hair Benewer 



We ha^e made a chemical analysis of this preparaiion, 
obtained from different sources, and ha<ve determined the 
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^e constituents are pure, and carefully selected for excel- 
lent quality; and the combination of them has been skilfully 
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cleansing the skin of the head and promoting the grom)th of 
the hair, restoring the original color 'when it has become 
gray. Being depri<ved of all caustic qualities, and protected 
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eruptions and promote healthy excretions from the scalp* 

We rega^a this as the best preparation for the intended 
purposes <^hich has been submitted for examination* 

A* A* HAYES, M.D., State Assayer. 
S. DANA HAYES,* Chemist. 



Buckingham's Dye 

For the WhisKers. 

^fw ^^^ ^^^ 

A dye has no effect whatever on the bulb or on the 
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We do not recommend this dye for the hair of the 
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Viras 
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By 
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<^ ^i V^ <' </ \' " ^^ </ <' ^/ 



5j 



m. 

M 
M 

M 

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M 

M 
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M 
M 

m 
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m 
m 



The fascinating novels written by ^ 

pifs. EeoiylB StelfloD 

are among the leading attractions 
of Street & Smith's celebrated and 
^^o^mX^x EAGLE LIBRARY. 

The following is a complete list 
of this favorite author's works now 
published at TEN CENTS by 
Street & Smith, who are the sole 
authorized publishers of her latest 
works, and the only house issuing 
her complete list of novels. 



LIST OF TITLES 



Audrey^s Recompense Eagle, 

Dofothy^s Jewels 

Edrie's Legacy ^ 

Faithful Shirley ** 

Grazia^s Mistake ** 

Max '* 

Nameless Dell ** 

Queen Bess 

Ruby^s Reward 

That Dowdy ** 

Thrice ^^&6.z& '' 

1 ma 

Two Keys 

Virgie^s Inheritance 

Witch Hazel ** 



No. 99. 
^ J44. 
** M, 
** JIJ. 
J22. 
J33. 
J55. 
J. 
2. 
44. 

77. 

7 

88 

66. 



STREET & SMITH, Publishers, New York 

G 6 



r, 



Mrs. Sheldon's Works 
in Cloth at 35 Cents ^ 



Geoffrey's Victory 
Queen Bess 
Trixy . . . 



Rose Series No. I 
'' No. 4 

'' " No. n 






Mrs. Sheldon's Works 
in Paper at 25 Cents J 

For sale by all newsdealers^ or sent by f 
mail, postpaid, by the publishers, at the 
stated price* 



Brownie's Triumph . 


Princess Series, No. 5. 25c 


Earfe Wayne's Nobitity " 


"20, ' 




Forsaken Bride . 




' 16, ' 




His Heart's Queen 




' 4. ' 




Lost, a Pcarle 




• 7. ' 




Mona . . . 




' 10, ' 




Stella Roscveit . 




' 2, ' 




Sybil's Influence . 




' 13, ' 




Wedded by Fate . 




' I, ' 




Wild Oats . . 


" ■ " " 8, " 



STREET & SMITH, Publishers, New York t 



G T 




^ 



A POPULAR WANT SUPPLIED 




10-Cent Histories 
and BiograpWes 



No dry statistics, but accurate and reliable 
worts, treating of the various subjects in 
an exhaustive and entertaining manner^ 

^ad Like Novels 

Just the books you need to post you on the subjects 

15 — Theodore Roosevelt, the American By Will M. Clemens 

14 — The Life of Benjamin Franklin By M. L Weems 

13— The Life of General PhiL H. Sheridan. .By W. H. Van Orden 

!2 — The Real Kruger and the Transvaal By an Englishman, a 

Boer and an American 

1 1— The Life of General W. T. Sherman By W. H. Van Orden 

IO_The Life of General U. S. Grant By W. H. Van Orden 

9 — Victoria. Queen and Empress By A. D. Hall 

8— Spain and the Spaniards By B. Essex W'inthrop 

7— The Life of Admiral Dewey By Will M. Clemens 

6 — Uncle Sam's Ships. A history of Our Navy. . .By A. D. Hall 
5 — A Life of the Pope (Leo the Thirteenth) from a Non- 
Sectarian Standpoint. , By A. D. Hall 

4_Hawaii By A. D. Hall 

3_Porto Rico By A. D. Hall 

2— The Philippines By A. D. Hall 

1— Cuba. : By A. D. Hall 

For sale by newsdealers and booksellers everywhere, or 
sent by mailt postpaid, on receipt of price, JOc# each, by 
G 8 STREET & SMITH, Publishers, New York. 



Kmi* 




If ill you are and well you'd be, 
And your stomach is at fault, 
Take Ripans Tabules properly, 
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WANTEDt—A case of bad health that R-I-P-A-N-S will not benefit. They 
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had at any drug store. Ten samples and one thousand testimonials will be 
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®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®® 



THE BEST KNOWN SERIES OF 
DETECTIVE STORIES IN THE WORLD 

are those of 

Nicholas Carter 

The only publishers who issue them arc 

STREET & SMITH, and they are to 
to be found in the 

Magnet Library 

RIGHT PRICE TEN CENTS 





pOR the benefit of the many admirers of these grand 

books^ we give herewith a complete list of titles and 

numbers up to date (April 1^ 1900) t meanwhile we add 

a new book to the list every third week ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ 

Accidental Password, An Magnet No. 53 

American Marquis, The *' *' 7 

Among the Counterfeiters ** '* 39 

Among the Nihilists *' *' 43 

At Odds with Scotland Yard *' ** 49 

At Thompson's Ranch ** *' 56 

Australian Klondike, An ** '* 8 

Bite of an Apple, A, and Other Stoiies '* '* 105 

Caught in the Toils ** *' 14 

Chance Discovery, A *' " 19 

Check No. 777 ** '' 46 

Clever Celestial, A ** " 75 

Crescent Brotherhood, The '' " 83 

Crime of a Countess, The *' '' 5 

Dead Man's Grip, A '' *' 85 

Deposit Vault Puzzle, A ^' ^* 21 

Detective's Pretty Neighbor, and Other 

Stories ** *» 89 

Diamond Mine Case, The ** ** 71 

Double Shuffle Club, The ** ** 68 

Elevated Railroad Mysterj^ The, and 

Other Stories " ** 123 

G 27 



®r ~ ~~ 



® 
® 

® 
® 
® 
® 
® 
® 
® 
® 
® 
® 
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® 
® 
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® 
® 
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® 

®. 

®i' 



NICK CARTER DETeCTIVE STORIES—Continucd 



^® 
® 



* Evidence by Telephone Magnet No. 

Fair Criminal, A * ^^ 

Fighting Against Millions ^^ ^^ 

Found on the Beach 

Gamblers' Syndicate, The ^^ ^^ 

Game of Craft, A ^^ 

Gideon DrexePs Millions ^^ ^^ 

Great Enigma, The \^ 

Great Money Order Swindle, The ^^ ^^ 

Harrison Keith, Detective * 

Herald Personal, A, and Other Stories. " 

Klondike Claim, A [[ ^^ 

Man from India, The 

Man Who Stole Millions,The, and Other ^^ ^^ 

Stories \\ 

Man Who Vanished, The \] 

Millionaire Partner, A 

Mysterious Mail Robbery, The 

Nick Carter's Clever Protege 

Nick Carter and the Green Goods Man 

Old Detective's Pupil, The [[ 

Piano Box Mystery, The ^^ 

Playing a Bold Game • • • 

Puzzle of Five Pistols, The, and Other ^^ ^^ 

Stories [\ ^^ 

Sealed Orders 

Sign of the Crossed Knives, The |* ^^ 

Stolen Identity, A * v •«••.• * ^ a 

Stolen Pay Train , The , and Other Stones ** 
Stolen Race Horse, The, and Other ^^ ^^ 

Stories 

Titled Counterfeiter, A * 

Tracked Across the Atlantic 

Twelve Tin Boxes, The [[ [\ 

Two Plus Two " 

Van Alstine Case, The 

Wall Street Haul, A 

Wanted by Two Clients || || 

Woman's Hand , A 



23 
63 
II 

65 

18 

126 

99 
3 

91 

93 

117 

I 
50 

129 
114 

59 

13 

108 

87 
10 

17 
12 

97 

95 

79 

9 

lOI 

III 
3 
4 

120 

73 

'I 

81 
16 



y^nj; of the above-mentioned hooks can he obtained from 
nearly all newsdealers at 10 cents per copy. Patronise 
the dealer if you can—if not, send 10 cents direct to the 
publishers, STREET & SMITH, 238 William St., New York 
G 28 



■A® 



®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®®® 



TrooperTales 

By WILL LEVINGTON COMFORT 



Real stories of the life of 
American soldiers, written by 
a man in the ranks. An enorm- 
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what the leading papers say 
concerning it. 




OOPEi 
TALES 




12nio. Elegantly bound and 

printed. 

5 beautiful halftone Illustrations. 

Pricer$«.00 

at all booksellers, or by mail, 
postpaid. 



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of human interest." 

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writes in a way independent and 
original, yet so interesting, that one 
misses the first half of a dinner rather 
than leave off in the middle of one of 
these 'Trooper Tales.' In these six- 
teen Trooper tales there is sketch work 
as pure as found in English. It is a 
real book and it is American.'* 

Paterson Evening News. — "Mr. Comfort 
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style." 

Philadelphia Enquirer. — " These stories 
are not romances, but records of what 
the author has seen and suffered, and 
they show that he has not ' soldiered * 
in vain." 

Neicark Daily Advertiser. — " Comfort 
has ability to blend humor and pathos 
in palatable compound." 

Detroit Free Press. — '♦ There is certainly 
considerable promise in Mr. Comfort's 
work." 

Boston Traveler. — "One feels that he 
has actually been to the front with 
Uncle Sam's boys when he has read the 
work." 

Scranton Republican.— " ^h.\s> is one of 
the books that will live." 

Bookseller^ Ne^csdealer and Stationer. — - 
" The soldiers that he depicts are not 
on dress parade, nor will they ever find 
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allied with truthfulness." 

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in America." 

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as its theme; that is a decided novelty." 

Scranton Trihvne. — "A bunch of war 
stories which are the real thing." 

The Journalist. — •' Apiece of admirable 
work. Mr. Comfort is one of the most 
promising of our younger writers." 



6C 



STREET & SMITH, Publishers, 238 wijiiam street 



York 



11^! 



Ripans Tabules actually do much 
good* This is not a mere supposition, 
it is a fact* Thousands of just such 
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^^ I was completely run down in 
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appetite was such that I became 
almost a skeleton* Tonics and 
women^s medicines did me no good, 
although expensive* Since taking 
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WANIKD— A case of bad health that R-I-P-A-N-S will not benefit They 
banish pain and prolong life. One cives relief N'-te the word R-I-P-A-N-S on 
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any addt». lor Sets., foi warded to the R;p«ns Chemical Co., No.lO Spruce et..N.Y, 




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« 



Rudyird Kipliogl 

The special attention of admirers of ^ 

this great author is called to the ^ 

fact that those of his works pub- % 

lished in the Arrow Library embrace 
a careful selection of the best, and 
that they are printed from new 
^ plates, thereby producing much bet- 

^ ter editions than can be found in 

^ other low priced lines. We now 

% have ready the following, at 

I Tbe Rigbt Price, 1 Oc. I 

^ No. 1. The Light that Failed 

^ No. 12. The Phantom 'Riclcshaw 

M| No. 49. BaUads and Other Verses 

M No. 63. Plain Tales from the Hills 

^ No. 65. Soldiers Three 

9^ No. 70. Under the Deodars and the Story 
^ of the Gadsbys. 

^n No. 97. The Courting of Dinah Shadd 

^ Be sure and get the Arrow Library Edition 



^ G20 



5TREET & 5A\ITH, Publijbery 
MEW YORK 



Beyond the City 



M 



0< 



A. CoQtii} Poyie 

// <zvere superfluous to say more in regard 
to the achievements of this great story 
^writer than to allude to the perfect clamor 
of critical congratulation ^ivhich greets 
every ne^ production of his pen^c^jf^ rif^ 



^ 



r? 



I How Offered hi 10 Ceots 

^ in the Airo<w Library ^ ^^ 

The Whiie Company 

** This is a romance of the days of chivalry in Merrie Eng- 
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our, we have read nothing to equal it since ' Ivanhoe."* 

The Firm of Girdlestone 

** A startingly realistic novel of the world of business in the 
metropolis of liie universe, London. It is a fascinating book." 

A Study in Scarlet 

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detective. One had heard of him so much before, it is like 
renewing an old and loved acquaintance." 



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stories of Sherlock Holmes. ' Beyond the City ' possesses the 
magnetism which obliges complete perusal once the opening 
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At the Sign of the Four 

*' Herewith we behold again the wonderful detective work of 
Sherlock Holmes in the tracing of crimes and criminals. Beyond 
question, he is the greatest detective creation of any time or 
language. The story is simply irresistible." 

For sale by all booksellers and newsdealers t or sent, 
postage free, on receipt of price, by the publishers 

STREET fir SA\ITHt New York C), 

G15 TV" 



The Transvaal War 



Timely books upon the subject, and romances 
of the region in which the struggle is taking 
place. Published by Street & Smith. 



Jess, a Tale of the Transvaal 

By H. Rider Haggard. No. 83 Arrow Library. 10c. 

The Story of an African Farm 

By Olive Schreiner. This book is an excellent rom- 
ance and pen-picture of the Boers, by the sister of the present 
Premier of Cape Colony. No. 91 Arrow Library. 10c. 

The Diamond Mine Case « 

By Nicholas Carter. A detective story of the Kim- 
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With Boer and Britisher in the Transvaal 

By William Murray Graydon. A splendid story for 
boys. No. 39 fledal Library. 10c. 

The Real Kruger and the Transvaal 

By an Englishman, a Boer and an American. A most 
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work. No. 12 Historical Series. 10c. 

*Tween Snow and Fire 

By Bertram Mitford. A powerful novel, dealing with 
Englishmen, Boers and Kaffirs ; good reading and valuable 
information combined. No. 1 Romance Series. 50c. 

Yankee Girls in 'Oom Paul's Land 

By Louise Vescelius Sheldon. A graphic and enter- 
taining account of the South African Country as three 
American girls found ft. Especially valuable for its accur- 
ate descriptions of manners, customs and topogiaphy. 
Price, in cloth, 50c.; in paper (No. 2 Undine Series), 25c. 

The above books cover every phase of the South African 
question. You should read some or all of them. 

For sale by all newsdealers, or sent by mail, postpaid, on 
receipt of price by the publishers — 

STREET & SMITH, 238 William Street, New York. 

G33 




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ARRANGED ALPHABETICALLY BY TITLES 



And embracrngf all books published in the 
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For sale by all newsdealers^ 
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4^ 



STREET & SMITH, Pubffahers 

238 WILLIAM STREET* NEW YORK 



A. 

Accidental Password, An. By Nicholas Carter 49 Magnet 

Adam Hepburn's Vow. By Annie S. Swan 15 Alliance 

Admiral Dewey, The Life of. By Will M. Clemens 7 Historical 

Adventures of a Telegrapli Boy, The. By Arthur Lee Putnam 53 Medal 

Alice Blake. By Francis S. Smith 100 Eagle 

All Aboard. By Oliver Optic 3 Medal 

Allan Eyre. By Rev. Silas Hocking 6 Alliance 

Allan Quartermain, By H. Rider Haggard 33 Arrow 

American Marquis, The. By Nicholas Carter 7 Magnet 

Among the Counterfeiters. By Nicholas Carter 39 Magnet 

Among the Nihilists. By Nicholas Carter 43 Magnet 

Another Man's Wife. By Bertha M. Clay 48 Eagle 

Another Woman's Husband. By Bertha M. Clay ^...42 Eagle 

Ardath, Vol. I. By Marie Corelli 26 Arrow 

Ardath, Vol. II. By Marie Corelli 27 Arrow 

Around the World in Eighty Days. By Jules Verne 21 Arrow 

As in a Looking Glass. By F, C. Philips 13 Arrow 

At Odds with Scotland Yard. By Nicholas Carter 49 Magnet 

At Thompson's Ranch. By Nicholas Carter 56 Magnet 

Audrey's Recompense. By Mrs. Georgie SheMon 99 Eagle 

Aurora Floyd. By Miss M. E. Braddon 113 Arrow 

Australian Klondike, An. By Nicholas Carter 8 Magnet 

Bab Ballads, The. By W. S. Gilbert 68 Arrow 

Bag of Diamonds, The. By George Manville Fenn 30 Magnet 

Ballads and Other Verses. By Rudyard Kipling 49 Arrow 

Barbara's Brothers. By Evelyn Everett Green 17 Alliance 

Baron Sam. By the author of Dr. Jack 30 Eagle 

Beautiful but Poor. By Julia Edwards 8 Eagle 

Beautiful Jim. By John Strange Winter 41 Arrow 

Beauty's Daughters. By "The Duchess" 134 Arrow 

Ben Hamed. By Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 18 Columbia 

Benjamin Franklin, The Life of. By M. L. Weems 14 Historical 

Between Two Hearts. By Bertha M. Clay 84 Eagle 

Beyond the City. By A. Conan Doyle 6 Arrow 

Bite of an Apple and Other Stories, A. By Nicholas 

Carter 105 Magnet 

Bitter Atonement, A. By Bertha M. Clay 1 Bertha M. Clay 

Black Beauty. By Anna Sewell 103 Arrow 

Black Rock. By Ralph Connor 18 AUiance 

Bitter Bondage, A. By Bertha M, Clay 130 Eagle 

Blackmail. By Harrie Irving Hancock 109 Magnet 

Blockade Runner, The. By J. Perkins Tracy 32 Eagle 

Blue Veil, The. By Fortune Du Boisgobey 44 Magnet 

Boat Club, The. By Oliver Ootic 1 Medal 

Bondman, The. By Hall Cairie 73 Arrow 

Boy Boomers, The. By Gilbert Patten 28 Medal 

Boy from the West, The. By Gilbert Patten 24 Medal 

Brant Adams. By Judson R. Taylor 86 Magnet 

Bride from the Bush, A. By E. W. Hornung 93 Arrow 

Brothers All. By Mrs. H. A. Cheever 5 Alliance 

Bruce Angelo, the City Detective. By Judson R. Taylor.. 102 Magnet 
By Whose Hand ? By'Edith Sessions Tupper 134 Magnet 

■ O 

Cadet Kit Carey. By Lieutenant Lionel Lounsberry 2 Medal 

Camille. By Alexander Dumias, Fils 106 Arrow 

Canoe and Campfire. By St. George Rathborne 40 Medal 

Captain Carey of the Gallant Seventh. By Lieutenant 

Lionel Lounsberry 6 Medal 

Captain Impudence. By Edwin Milton Royle 82 Eagle 

Captain Tom. By the author of Dr. Jack 26 Eagle 

Cardinal Sin, A. By Hugh Conway 131 Arrow 

Carla; or, Married at Sight. By Effie Adelaide Rowlands.. .107 Eagle 

Carmen and Colomba. By Prosper Merimee 89 Arrow 

Caruthers Affair, The. By Will N. Harben 128 Magnet 

Cast Up by the Tide. By the author of Half a Truth 135 Eagle 

2 



Cattle King, The. By A. D. Hall 112 Eagle 

Caught in the Net. By Emile Gaboriau 20 Magnet 

Caught in the Toils. By Nicholas Carter 14 Magnet 

Cecile's Marriage. By Lucy Randall Comfort 121 Eagle 

Cell No. 13. By Edwin H. Traiton 23 Columbia 

Centre-Board Jim. By Lieutenant Lionel Lounsberry 27 Medal 

Champdoce Mystery, The. By Emile Gaboriau 22 Magnet 

Chance Discovery, A. By Nicholas Carter 19 Magnet 

Change of Air, A. By Anthony Hope 107 Arrow 

Charge of the Blockhouse, The. By Douglas Wells.... 15 Columbia 

Charity Girl, A. By Effie Adelaide Rowlands 143 Eagle 

Chase Around the World, A. By Mariposa Weir 60 Magnet 

Chased Through Norway. By James Otis 7 Medal 

Check No. 777. By Nicholas Carter 46 Magnet 

Check 2134. By Edward S. Ellis 41 Medal 

Chevalier Casse-Cou, The. By Fortune Du Boisgobey 63* Magnet 

Chiffon's Marriage. By "Gyp" 129 Aitow 

Chosen Man, The. By Judson R. Taylor 78 Magnet 

Chris. By W. E. Norris 29 Arrow 

Claire. jJy Charles Garvice 98 Eagle 

Cleopatra. By Victorien Sardou 54 Eagle 

Cleopatra. By H. Rider Haggard 124 Arrow 

Clever Celestial, The. By Nicholas Carter 75 Magnet 

Clique of Gold, The. By Emile Gaboriau 29 Magnet 

Colonel by Brevet, The. By author of Dr. Jack 47 Eagle 

Colonel Quaritch, V. C. By H. Rider Haggard 114 Arrow 

Colonel's Wife, The. By Warren Edwards 39 Eagle 

Commodore Junk. By George Manville Fenn 37 Eagle 

Concerning Isabel Camaby. By Ellen Thorneycrof t Fowler. 105 Arrow 

Convict Colonel, The. By Fortune DuBoisgobey 33 Magnet 

Coralie's Son. By Albert Delpit 35 Arrow 

Cotton King, The. By Sutton Vane 74 Eagle 

Couldn't Say No. By the author of Helen's Babies .164 Eagle 

Council of'^Ten, The. By Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 24 Columbia 

Count of Monte Cristo — Part II., The. By Alexander 

Dumas 96 Arrow 

Country Lanes and City Pavements.- By Maurice M. 

Minton 145 Eagle 

County Fair, The. By Neil Burgess 60 Eagle 

Courier to Gomez, A. By Douglas Wells 3 Columbia 

Courting of Dinah Shadd, The. By Rudyard Kipling 97 Arrow 

Court-Martialed. By Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N 6 Columbia 

Crescent Brotherhood, The. By Nicholas Carter 83 Magnet 

Crime of a Countess, The. By Nicholas Carter 5 Magnet 

Crime of the French Cafe, and Other Stories, The. By Nicholas 

Carter 135 Magnet 

Crime of the Opera House, Vol. I., The. By Fortune 

DuBoistTobey 35 Magnet 

Crime of the Opera House, Vol. II., The. By Fortune 

DuBois.^obey 36 Magnet 

Crossed Wires ; or, A Tangle of Crime. By Nicholas Carter 138 Magnet 

Crucifixion of Philip Strong, The. By Rev. Chas. M. 

Sheldon 3 Alliance 

Cruise of the Cachalot, The. By Frank T. Bullen, First 

Mate 76 Arrow 

Cruise of the Snow Bird, The. By Gordon Stables 31 Medal 

Crumbs ST^-ept Up. By Rev. T. De Witt Talmage 4 Alliance 

Crushed Lily, A, By Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller 113 Eagle 

Cryptogram, The. By William Murray Graydon 26 Medal 

Cuba. By A. D. Hall 1 Historical 

Curse of Carnes' Hold, The. By G. A. Henty 32 Medal 

Cyrano de Bergerac. By Edmond Rostand 42 Arrow 

X> 

Dakota Girl, That By SteUa Gllman ,..171 Eagle 

Dangerous Catspaw. A. By David Christie Murray 20 Arrow 

Dark Marriage Moiti, A By Bertha M. Clay 7 Bertha M. Clay 

Darkest Russia. By H. Grattan Donnelly 94 Eagle 

Daughter of the Regiment, The. By Mary A. Denison 116 Eagle 

Dead Man's Grip, A. By Nicholas Carter 85 Magnet 

3 



Dead Man's Rock. By "Q" 72 Arrow 

Dean Dunham. By Frank H. Converse 50 Medal 

Deposit Vault Puzzle, A. By Nicholas Carter 21 Magnet 

Detective Bob Bridger. By R. M. Taylor 69 Magnet 

Detective Reynolds' Hardest Case. By Gabriel Macias 140 Magnet 

Detective's Clew, The. By O. K Adams 66 Magnet 

Detective's Dilemma, The. By Emile Gaboriau 24 Magnet 

Detective's Pretty Neighbor and Other Stories, The. By 

Nicholas Carter 89 Magnet 

Detective Tales of Edgar Allen Poe, The 115 Magnet 

Detective's Triumph, The. By Emile Gaboriau 25 Magnet 

Devil's Island. A novel founded on the celebrated Dreyfus 

Case. By A. D. Hall 125 Eagle 

Diamond Button, The. By Barclay North 100 Magnet 

Diamond Mine Case, The. By Nicholas Carter ..71 Magnet 

Diana's Discipline, or Sunshine and Roses. By Bertha M. 

Clay - 6 Bertha M. Clay 

Dispatch Bearer, The. By Warren Edwards 56 Eagle 

Donald Dyke, The Yankee Detective '1 137 Magnet 

Donovan. By Edna Lyall 50 Arrow 

Don Kirk, the Boy Cattle King. By Gilbert Patten 10 Medal 

Don Kirk's Mine. By Gilbert Patten 12 Medal 

Dora Thorne. By Bertha M. Clay 2 Bertha M. Clay 

Dora Tenny. By Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller 64 Eagle 

Dorothy's Jewels. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 144 Eagle 

Double Shuffle Club, The. By Nicholas Carter 68 Magnet 

Dragon and the Raven, The. By G. A. Henty 23 Medal 

Dr. Jack. By St. George Rathborne 15 Eagle 

Dr. Jack's Wife. By the author of Dr. Jack 18 Eagle 

Duchess, The. Bv "The Duchess" 34 Arrow 

Dugdale Millions, The. , By Barclay JSTorth 131 Magnet 

\J 

1^ 

Edmond Dantes— Vol. I. Count of Monte Cristo. Alexander 

Dumas 92 Arrow 

Edrie's Legacy. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 12 Eagle 

Egyptian Princess, An. By George Ebers 74 Arrow 

Elaine. By Charles Garvice 22 Eagle 

English Orphans. By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes 57 Arrow 

Ensign Merrill. By Lieutenant Lionel Lounsberry 17 Medal 

Eric Brighteyes. By H. Rider Haggard 51 Arrow 

Eric Dane. By Matthew White, Jr 47 Medal 

Erie Train Boy, The. By Horatio Al^er, Jr 61 Medal 

Estelle's Millionaire Lover. By Julia Edwards 27 Eagle 

Evidence by Telephone. By Nicholas Carter 23 Magnet 

Exchanged Identity, An ; or, Bertha's Secret. By Fortune Du 

Boisgobey 143 Magnet 

Face to Face. By Donald J. McKenzie 76 Magnet 

Fair But Faithless. By Bertha M. Clay 102 Eagle 

Fair Criminal, A. By Nicholas Carter 62 Magnet 

Fair Maid of Fez, The. By the author of Dr. Jack 80 Eagle 

Fair Maid of Marblehead, A. By Kate Tannatt Woods 159 Eagle 

Fair Revolutionist, A. By the author of Dr.' Jack 115 Eagle 

Faithful Shirley. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon Ill Eagle 

Far From the Madding Crowd. By Thomas Hardy 122 Arrow 

Fatal Card, The. By Haddon Chambers and B. C. Stephen- 
son IG Eagle 

Fatal Wooing. A. By Laura Jean Libby 138 Eagle 

Fedora, By Victorien Sardou 36 Eagle 

Fighting Against- Millions. By Nicholas Carter 11 Magnet 

Fighting Against Odds. By Douglas Wells 13 Columbia 

Fighting Squadron, The. By Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N. 2 Columbia 

File No. 113. By Emile Gaboriau 26 Magnet 

Firm of Girdlestone, The. By A. Conan D'^yle 69 Arrow 

First Christian Daily Paper, The, and Other Sketches. 

By Rev. Chas. M. Sheldon .11 Alliance 

First Violin, The. By Jessie Fotherglll 100 Arrow 

4 . 



For Another's Sin ; or, A Struggle for Love. By Bertha^^ ^^^^^ ^ ^^^ 

M.Clay ;--VT"''';""Ta,VRprtha'M'' cVav' 4 Eagle 

&1.1^^ors2SiT^rs?o^ry?^agI^l'J-rm^^^ 

For Maimies Sake. By Grant Alien. Columbia 

For Spanish Gold. By Douglas \V ellb^.^^............--. Magnet 

Found on the Beax:h. By Nicholas C^^^ 139 Magnet 

Fritz, tUe German Detective. By Juosou ±4. layioi.... Arrow 

B^ivolus Cupid ^By Anthony Hope^..^...^^... 52 Medal 

From Farm Boy ^.^^^^I'^^^^^^^^^tTkurvky Graydon. .22 Medal 
UZ. ^ o wJife^|o|e.J(Boyhood and 1.1 e _of _P^ ^^^^^ 

FrJzerpS^xg^ % W^Clt^ fissell 120 Arrow 

Gamblers- Syndicate. The By Mas Cart- ......18 Magnet 

Game of Craft, A. By Nicholas carter .....^^ Magnet 

Garden Court Mystery The By Burford E^e^annoy.^ ^_ ^^ Coiambia 

Gauntlet of.F'Te, A. By Ensign C^^rKe i; ^ ^^^ ^^ ^^^^^1 

mL?a?'^wrH^. tSffin^ ?gl^Lif^e^of. By W. H. Van^^ ^^^^^^^^^ 

Gen?r^atu.-s\;,G,^.V,TheLV^or^ByW 

General W. T. Sherman, The l-,ite or. cy *» • • ;Lj^ Historical 

Orden • • :; ' ' V ' rV/ iiiAkneli iJudley ^9 Eagle 

Gentleman from Gascony, A. By BK=kneU IJU y ^ 

§r='!>r^x^Mfnio^^^^^^ 
gKorrnrKonf,«;BAh^ertho^r of Br. Jack X|6 Eag|e 

§ll'ind°thfMan.VBobertBuch^^^^^^^^ 

Goddess of Africa A. By the auwior^^ Converse : - - -57 Medal 

■^^^^^ -FbS^^S"""''- ^^••.V.V.V.V.a Be¥tK« 

rorn«Mt^^ntt.|h«^SaiioSlf-^^^ 

Good-Bve, Sweetheart. By ^^°Ji^^-%\^^^ 122 Eagle 

Oreat Enigma, The. By Nicholas L.ai ttji ... . 31 Arrow 

Half a Truth. By a popular author ■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■.■.19 Arrow 

uln of Iceland. By Vict°r Hugo .^^...... ..■•■•• 66 Arrow, 

grr?l^o?°reX"Dttec?l^ve^'?ne^rdventures of . By ^^ ^^^^^ 

Nicholas Carter 4 Historical 

Hawaii. By A. D. ^^i^-'i^V 'f* Perkins * Tracy ^^ 37 Eagle 

Heart of Virginia, T^^' -o^ Vrth^M Clay^^ 109 g^^^ ® 

Heart's Bitterness, A. By Bertna m^i^y • 21 Eagle 

Heart's Idol, A. By bertha M Clay 3^ Arrow 

Hector Servadac. .^J J^^^^e No' By'juUa E^^^^^ -3 Eagle 

He Loves Me, He Loves Me ^^^- ^^> ^ Fleming 151 Eagle 

Heiress of Glen Gower, ihe. ^^ ^;|^| / By Nicholas 

Herald Personal and Other btories, a. x.y 117 Magnet 

Carter .....••: •Ti;;*ni;VHVs'GarvVce .'**.*.*.'* ^1 Eagle 

gl^M^o?h^Ir*'.^sSTir?AB%^t«lin1l>ay. By Bertha^ ^^^^^ ^^^^^ 

HerVJn^omi^-^By^cii-aries-GarVice:::;:::::::::::::: ^^^^'- 

6 



Her Rescue from the Turks. By the author of Dr. Jack. . .142 Eagle 

Her Son's Wife. By Hazel Wood 163 Eagle 

Hero of the Brigade, The. By Douglas Wells 14 Columbia 

Hilda's Lover; or the False Vow, or Lady Hutton's Ward, 

By Bertha M. Clay 8 Bertha M. Clay 

His r'atal Vow. By Leon De Tinscau 23 Arrow 

His Great Revenge, Vol. I. By Fortune Du Boisgobey..54 Magnet 
His Great Revenge, Vol. 11. By Fortune Du Boisgobey..o5 Magnet 

His Perfect Trust. By a popular author 69 Eagle 

His Way and Her Will. By Frances AjTu..r Mathews 160 Eagle 

Holding the Fort. By Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N,..— 11 Columbia 
Homestead on the Hillside, The. By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes.. 60 Arrow 

Honorable Mrs. Vereker, The. By The Duchess 62 Arrow 

House of the Wolf, The. By Stanley J. W^eyman 10 Arrow 

House of Seven Gables, The. By Nathaniel Hawthorne.. 54 Arrow 

How He Won. By Brooks Me Cormick 26 Medal 

Humanity. By Sutton Vane 92 Eagle 

Hunchback of Notre Dame, The. By Victor Hugo 90 Arrow 

Husband and Foe, By EfRe Adelaide Rowlands 154 Eagle 

I 

Ideal Love, An. By Bertha M. Clay 119 Eagle 

I Have Lived and Loved. By Mrs. Forrester 130 Arrow 

In All Shades. By Grant Allen 22 Arrow 

In Barracks and Wigw^am. By Wm. Murray Graydon 36 Medal 

anez. By Augusta J. Evans 82 Arrow 

Ingomar. By Nathan D. Urner 25 Arrow 

In His Steps: What Would Jesus Do. By Rev. Chas. M. 

Sheldon 1 Alliance 

In Love's Crucible. Bv Bertha M. Clay 70 Eagle 

In Peril of His Life. By Emile Gaboriau 136 Magnet 

Inspeccor's Puzzle, The. By Charles Matthew 84 Magnet 

In Sight of St. Paul's. By Sutton Vane 129 Eagle 

In Southern Seas. By Frank H. Converse 43 Medal 

In the Golden Days. By Edna Lyall 71 Arrow 

In the Reign of Terror. By G. A. Henty 35 Medal 

In the Sunk Lands. By Walter F. BrmiH 63 Medal 

Iron Pirate, The. By Max Pemberton 48 Arrow 

Ishmael; or, in the Depths. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. 

Sou th worth 86 Arrow 

Ivan the Serf. By Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 26 Columbia 

J 

Jack. By Alphonse Daudet : 59 Arrow 

Jack and Three Jills. By F. C. Philips 14 Arrow 

Jack Archer. By G. A. Henty 19 Medal 

Jack Wheeler, A, Western Story. By Capt. David South- 
wick 45 Medal 

Jess: A Tale of the Transvaal. By H. Rider Haggard 83 Arrow 

Joe Nichols ; or, Difficulties Overcome. By Alfred Oldfellow 54 Medal 

John Halifax, Gentleman. By Miss Mulock 119 Arrow 

John Needbam's Double. By Josenh Hatton 41 Magnet 

John Ploughman^s Talk. By Rev. C. H.^ Spurgeon 14 Alliance 

Jud and Joe, Printers and Publishers. By Gilbert Patten.. 33 Medal 

k: 

Kidnapped. By Robert Louis Stevenson 15 Arrow 

King and a Coward, A. By Effie Adelaide Rowlands 172 Eagle 

King or Knave. By R. E. Francillon 7 Arrow 

King's Stratagem and Other Stories, The. By Stanley J. 

Weymian 61 Arrow 

King's Talisman, The. By Sylvanus Cobb, Jr 21 Columbia 

Kit Carey's Protege. By Lieutenant Lionel Lounsberry 8 Medal 

Klondike Claim, A. By Nicholas Carter 1 Magnet 

Iv 

Lady Audley's Seicret. By Miss M. E. Braddon 94 Arrow 

Lady Evelyn. By May Agnes Fleming 141 Eagle 

La Tosca. By Victorien Sardou 61 Eagle 

6 



Lawyer Bell from Boston By Robert Lee Tyler jif fr^|^^ 

l^e-A Astrav By Octave FeuiUet i^ * i.„™ 

I^a Rive'^s. By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes ^eI^T^ 

Tp<ilif-=; Lovaltv By Charles Garvice 1' J^agie 

Lfeutenant Careys Luck. By Lieutenant Lionel Louns- ^ ^^^^^ 

Light^T^hit' Failed"; Th^! " By RudVardKipiing ■..■.■."•■•■•■•■• •••'•• •, ^ A"°J! 
i:ik-C%^irBon-Je^V-fd-^"^pF^^^""^^ 

fclJllI SrcSl?it.^B^y ElTe ifefaiI;'"^^o^'iands::::.:::::ii lalll 

Lillll L?ghtnint'\he SlLdow Detective. By Police Cap-^^ ^^^^^^ 

LittYi Min™t?rV The.' " BVf^M.BarHe.V. ■.■.•.■.•.■.•.•.■.•.•.■.■.■.■.■.■.•. . ■■'■■f^^f^^^l 
IJttle Radical, A. By Mrs. J. H.Walwortli Vn #^1 }| 

i:JSK"fm1t^l,"c^tyo?r, f e^^lflf^rwm: H^^^^ 

i'fofri^n^;^ S'^i\frGoil^ ^BTch^^lSfe^^^^ 

Tn^Kuecos Mystery The. By Eugene T. Sawyer ...51 Magnet 

Luke Butt's Hide-out. By Capt. C. B. Ashley, U. S. Scout 48 Medal 

Maddoxes The. By Jean Middlemass 38 Arrow 

Magdafen 's Vow. By May Agnes Fleming .146 Eag e 

Mifor Matterson of Kentucky. By the author of Dr. Jack d8 Eagle 

Maltese Cross, The. By Eugene T. Sawyer 61 Magnet 

M^n from India, The. By Nicholas Carter 50 Magnet 

Man from Manchester, T^ie. By Dick Donoyan ^^1^8?^^^ 

Manhattaners, The. By Edward S. Van Zile q^A^^f w 

Man of Mark, A. By Anthony Hope... 98 Arrow 

A? an of the Name of John, A. By Florence Kins: 162 Eagle 

Man Shp Lo^d The By Effie Adelaide Rowlands ..149 Eagle 

Man Who Stole Millions, and Other Stories, The 129 Magnet 

Man Who Vanished, The. By Nicholas Carter 114 Magnet 

mIS wrth a Thumb, The By Barclay North ^^Kf^H^.l 

Marjorie Deane. By^Bertha M. Clay ^9 Eag e 

Marauis The. By Charles Garvice .(dl^agie 

M^r^i^Sk at Sea A By W. Clark Russell 11 Arrow 

mI^4iSus in Our Eyes By Emma E. Hornibrook 10 Alliance 

Masked Bridal, The. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon - 1G6 Eagle 

Masked Detectiye, The. By Judson R, Taylor ^^ Magnet 

Master of Ballantrae. By Robert Louis Stevenson o Arrow 

Master of the Mine, The. By Robert Buchanan Vi^. ^1,?,!^ 

Master Passion The By Florence Marryat 116 Arrow 

Master's mSS; Th^^^^ By Rev. W. C. Stiles 1? ^?^^^^? 

MaTapan Affair, The. ^By Fortune DuBoisgobey ^KflSit 

Mavourneen. From the celebrated play .76 Eag e 

Max By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon vv ' • %• '-Ao i^^^^® 

M^yor of Casterbridge, The. By Thomas Hardy 108 Arrow 

Meadowbrook. By Mrs. Mary J. Holmes '^^^^^7^ 

Mirin^iffht Marriage The. By A. M. Douglas 6 Eagle 

M Wm^ Me^^^^^^ Lieutenant Lionel Lounsberry....l5 Medal 

MPdred Treyanion. By The Duchess 40 Arrow 

MnUonaire^ FollyVA. By L. E. Smyles 130 Ma.gnet 

MmSlfa^rV larfAer. A.^ By Nicholas Carter '^t^A^ll 

T^TI^s Canrice By the author of Dr. Jack 2b Eagle 

Miss FaS§ax of Virgmia. By the author of Dr. Jack "A^/Arrow 

M^s^Iifne ^and ^!%y "the 'author' of "'A Yellow Aster;'' '. ! '. -44 Arrow 

MiK Paulinrof New York. By the author of Dr. Jack 23 Eagle 

Monsieur Bob. By the author nf Dr. Jack i?,5^/^^'1 

MouQtain Cave, The. By George H. Coomer 60 Medal 

Mn^tpiTieer Detective The By C. W. Cobb 40 Magnet 

M^.^'iake orChic^^^^^ Harry DuBois Milman 19 Eagle 

7 



]Srs. Bob. By the author of Dr. Jack 33 Eagle 

Muertalma; or. The Poisoned Pin. By Marmaduke Dey... 58 Masjnet 

Mute Confessor, A. By Will N. Rarben 152 Eagle 

My Lady's Money. By Wilkie Collins 58 Arrow 

Mysterious Case, A. By K. F. Hill 32 Magnet 

Mysterious Mail Robbery, The. By Nicholas Carter.... 13 Magnet 
Mystery of Colde Fell, The ; or. Not Proven. By Bertha 

M. Clay 5 Bertha M. Clay 

Mystery of a Diamond, The. By Frank H. Converse 49 MedaJ 

Mystery of a Handsom Cab, The. By Fergus Hume 47 Magnet 

Mystery of a Madstone, The. By K. F. Hill 67 Magnet 

Mystery of Orcival, The. By Emile Gaborian 122 Magnet 

Nabob of Singapore, The. By the author of Dr. Jack 38 Eagle 

Nameless Dell. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 155 Eagle 

Natiu-e's Young Noblemen. By Brooks McCormick 56 Medal 

Nerine's Second Choice. By Adelaide Stirling 131 Eagle 

New Arabian Nights. The. By Robert Louis Stevenson... 75 Arrow 

Nick Carter and the Green Goods Men 87 Magnet 

Nick Carter's Clever Protege. By Nicholas Carter 108 Magnet 

Nick Carter Down East. By the author of Nicholas Carter 141 Magnet 

Nick Ciirter's Girl Detective. By Nicholas Carter 132 Magnet 

Noboay's Daughter. By Clara Augusta 127 Eagle 

None but the Brave. By Robert Lee Tyler 49 Eagle 

Northern Lights. By A. D. Hall 123 Eagle 

North Walk Mystery, The. By Will N. Harben 88 Magnet 

No. 13 Rue Marlot. By Rene de Pont Jest .96 Magnet 

Now or Never. By Oliver Optic 5 Medal 

O 

Off with the Old Love. By Mrs. M. V. Victor 46 Eagle 

Old Detective's Pupil, The. By Nicholas Carter 10 Magnet 

Old Homestead, The. By Denman Thompson 53 Eagle 

Old Mortality. By Young Baxter 103 Magnet 

Old Quartz, the Nevada Detective. By Eugene T. Sawyer. 118 Magnet 
Old Specie, the Treasury Detective. By Marline Manly.. 45 Magnet 

One Against Many. By Bertha M. Clay 10 Bertha M. Clay 

On the Firing Line. By Douglas Wells 7 Columbia 

On the Rack. By Barclay North 90 Magnet 

Partners, The. By Alohonse Daudet 67 Arrow 

Passenger from Scotland Yard, The. By H. F. Wood.. 107 Magnet 

Past Master of Crime, A, By Donald J. McKenzie 104 Magnet 

Peter Simple. By Captain Marryat 30 Medal 

Phantom Future, The. By Henry Seton Merriman :..78 Arrow 

Phantom 'Rickshaw, The. By Rudyard Kipling 12 Arrow 

Philippines. The. By A. D. Hall 2 Historical 

PhyUis. By "The Duchess" 123 Arrow 

Piano Box Mystery, The. By Nicholas Carter 17 Magnet 

Piccadilly Puzzle, The. By Fergus Hume ^ . .133 Magnet 

Pilgrim's Progi-ess. By John Bunyan 13 Alliance 

Plain Tales from the Hills. By Rudyard Kipling 63 Arrow 

Playing a Bold Game. By Nicholas Carter 12 Magnet 

Poker King, The. Pv Mainline Manlv 80 Magnet 

Pomfret Mystery. The. By A. D. Vinton 125 Magnet 

Poor and Proud. By Oliver Optic 46 Medal 

Pope (Deo XIII.), A Life of the. By A. D. Hall 5 Historical 

P-^rto Rico. By A. D. Hall 3 Historical 

Post Office Detective, The. By George W. Goode 52 Magnet 

Prairie Detective, The. By Leander P. Ricardson 37 Magnet 

Prettiest of All. By Julia Edwards 124 Eagle 

Prettv Geraldihe. By Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller 34 Eagle 

Price He Paid, The. By E. Werner 51 Eagle 

Prince of the House of David, The. By Rev. Prof. J. H. 

Ingraham 43 Arrow 

Prince Otto and the Silverado Squatters. By Robert Louis 

Stevenson 133 Arrow 

Prisoner of Morro, A. By Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N.. 4 Columbia 

8 



prisoners and Captives. By Henry Seton Merriman 85 Arrow 

Proud Dishonor, A. By Genie Holzmeyer 104 }5agle 

proved Unworthy. By Mrs. Emily Lovett Cameron 110 Arrow 

Puzzle of Five Pistols and Other Stories, The. By Nich- 
olas Carter 97 Magnet 

Queen Bess. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 1 Eagle 

Queen of Hearts, The. By Wilkie Collins Ill Arrow 

Queen of Treachery, A. By T. W. Hanshew 93 Eagl© 

Queer Race, A. By William Westall 25 Columbia 

I« 

Rajah's Fortress, The. By WUliam Murray Graydon 59 Medal 

Rea.l Kruger and the Transvaal, The. By an English- ^ 

man, a Boer and an American 12 Historical 

Red Camellia, The. By Fortune Du Boisgobey 64 Magnet 

Red Lotterv Ticket, The. By Fortune DuBoisgobey 31 Magnet 

Red Spider. By S. Baring Gould 132 Arrow 

Reporter Detective, The. By Donald J. McKenzie 119 Magnet 

Revenue Detectives, The. By Polite Captain James 42 Magnet 

Road of the Rough, The. By Maurice M. Minton 165 Eagle 

Robert Hardy's Seven 'Days. By Rev. Chas. M. Sheldon.. 2 Alliance 

Rogue, The. By W. E. Norris 9 Arrow 

Romance of a Poor Young Man, The. By Octave Feuillet..46 Arrow 

Romance of Two Worlds, A. By Marie Corelli 18 Arrow 

Rosamond. By Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller 57 Eagle 

Ruby's Reward. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 2 Eagle 

Ruy Bias. By Victor Hugo 37 Arrow 

Sam's Sweetheart. By Helen B. Mathers 127 Arrow 

Sappho. By Alphonse Daudet ; • • VV ' ^: * '-kV ' o 'i^ Arrow 

Saved by the Enemy. By Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N.. 8 Columbia 

Saved from the Sea. By Richard Duffy 118 Eagle 

Scarlet Letter, The. By Nathaniel Hawthorne 109 Arrow- 
Scent of the Roses, The. By the author of Half a Truth.. 128 Eagle 
Sealed Orders; or, The Triple Mystery. By Nicholas 

Carter 95 Magnet 

Secret ServYce Detail, A. By Douglas Wells 5 Columbia 

Self-Raised; or, From the Depths. By Mrs. Emma D. E. N. 

Southworth 87 Arrow 

Senator's Bride, The. By Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller....... 20 Eagle 

Senator's Favorite, The. Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller 5 Eagle 

Seven Davs' Mysterv, A. By Frederick R. Burton 142 Magnet 

Severed Hand, The. By Fortune Du Boisgobey 127 Magnet 

Shadowed by a Detective. By Virginia Champlin 106 Magnet 

Shadow of a Crime. The. Hall Caine 84 Arrow 

She. By H. Rider Haggard 27 Columbia 

Shenandoah. By J. Perkins Tracy 87 Eagle 

Sherlock Holmes Detective Stories, The. A. Conan Doyle. 72 Magnet 

She's All the World to Me. By Hall Caine 2 Ai'row 

She Loved Him. By Charles Garvice 117 Eagle 

Sign of the Crossed Knives, The. By Nicholas Carter.. 79 Magnet 

Sign of the Four, The. By A. Conan Doyle 17 Arrow 

Silver Ship, The. By Leon Lewis 18 Medal 

Siren's Love, A. By Robert Lee Tyler 31 Eagle 

Society Detective, The. By 0«=?car Maitland 34 Magnet 

Soldier Lover, A. By Edward S. Brooks 150 Eagle 

Soldier Monk, The. By Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N...17 Columbia 

Soldiers Three. By Rudyard Kipling 65 Arrow 

Soldier's Pledge, A. By Ensign Clarke Fitch, U. S. N...12 Columbia 

Son of Mars, A. By the author of Dr. Jack 108 Eagle 

Spain and the Spaniards. Bv B. Essex Winthrop 8 Historical 

Span of Life, The. By Sutton Vane 103 Eagle 

Spider's Web, The. By the author of Dr. Jack 71 Eagle 

Splendid Egotist, A. By Mrs. J. H.Walworth 163 Eagle 

Squire Joh^n. By the author of Dr. Jack 134 Eagle 

Steel Necklace, The. By Fortune DuBoisgobey 27 Magnet 

9 



Stella Stirling. By Julia Edwards 62 Eagle 

Stella, tlie Star. By Wenoiia Oilman 158 Eagle 

Stolen Identity, A. By Nicholas Carter 9 Magnet 

Stolen Pay Train and Other Stories, The. By Nicholas 

Carter 101 Magnet 

Stolen Race Horse and Other Stories, The. By Nicholas 

Carter Ill Magnet 

Story of an African Farm, The. By Olive Schreiner 91 Arrow 

etory of Queen Esther, The. By E. Leuty Collins 7 Alliance 

Strange Secret, A. By Sylvanus Cobb, Jr. . ., 29 Columbia 

Stranglers of Paris; or, The Grip of Iron, The. (From the 

Celebrated Play) 28 Arrow 

Study in fcLarlet, A. By A. Conan Doyle 3 Arrow 

Sunset Pass. By General Charles King 150 Eagle 

Suspense. By Henry Seton Merriman 88 Arrow 

Sweet Violet. By Mrs. Alex. McVeigh Miller 91 Eagle 

Swordsman of Warsaw, The. By Judson R. Taylor 20 Columbia 

Tempest and Sunshine. By Mary J, Holmes 53 Arrow 

That Dowdy. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 44 Eagle 

That Girl of Johnsons'. By Jean Kate Ludlum 140 Eagle 

Thelma. By Marie Coreili 55 Arrow 

Theodora. By Victorien Sardou 29 Eagia 

Theodore Roosevelt, the American. By Will M. Clemens.. 15 Historical 

Three Musketeers, The. By Alexander Dumas 77 Arrow 

Thrice Lost, Thrice Won. By May Agnes Fleming 168 Engle 

Thrice Wedded. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 55 Eagle 

Through the Fray. By G. A. Henty 25 Medai 

Tina. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 77 Eagje 

Titled Counterfeiter, A. By Nicholas Carter 3 Magnet. 

Toilers of the Sea, The. By Victor Hugo 30 Arrow 

Tom and Jerry, The Double Detectives. By Judson R. 

Taylor 98 Mn gnct 

Tom Tracy. Bv Arthur Lee Putnam 51 Mefial 

Tour of a Private Car, The. By Matthew Wliite, Jr. 64 Medal 

Tracked Across the Atlantic. By Nicholas Carter 4 Magnet 

Tragedv in the Rue de la Paix, The. By Adolphe Belot 32 Arrow 

Trail of the Barrow, The. By James Mooney 124 Magnet 

Treasure Island. By R.obert Louis Stevenson 24 Arrow 

Trials of an Actress; or, General Utility, The. By Wenona Oilman. 1 69 Eagle 

True to the Old Flag. By G. A. Henty 29 Medal 

Try Again. By Oliver Optic 9 Medal 

Twelve Tin Boxes, The. By Nicholas Carter 120 Magnet 

Twelve Wise Men, The ; or, Patsy's Long Chase. By Nicholas 

Carter 144 Magnet 

Twenty Years After. By Alexander Dumas 99 Arrow 

Twin Detectives, The. By K. F. Hill 74 Magnet 

Twixt Love and Hate. By Bertha M. Clay 95 Eagle 

Two Keys. By 'Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 7 Eagle 

Two Plus Two, By Nirholas Carter 73 Magnet 

Typewriter Girl, The. By Grant Allen 101 Arrow 

520 Per Cent.; or. The Great Franklin Syndicate. By 

Barclay North 116 Magnet 

XJ 

Encle Sam's Ships. A History of our Navy. By A. D. 

Hal ' 6 Historical 

Under Egyptian Skies. By the author of Dr. Jack 147 Eagle 

Under Fire. By T. P. James 75 Eagle 

L'nder His Thumb. By Donald J. McKenzie 28 Magnet 

Under the Deodars and Story of the Gadsbys. By Rudyard 

Kipling 70 Arrow 

Unseen Bridegroom, The. By May Agnes Fleming 136 Eagle 

Up the Ladder. By Lieutenant Murray 13 Medal 

Van Alstine Case, The. By Nicholas Carter 77 Magnet 

Van, the Government Detective. By Judson R. Taylor.... 92 Magnet 

10 







Says Marcus 
Aurelius to Fa- 
bius Coraius^ 

''Its a pity we 
couldn't have 
lived in the nine- 
teenth century instead of the first." 

*'Why/' says Fabius, ''we have about 
all that makes life pleasant as it is/' 

"Oh, no/' replied Marcus. "We are fa- 
vored well, 'tis true; but just compare the 
expense of buying a novel written by hand 
on a papyrus roll with the ten-cent novels of 
Street & Smith, to say nothing of the fact 
that they would be so much handier to carry 
around and easier on the eyes to read." 

"True," said Fabius, "that's where the 
nineteenth century people have got a great 
thing, and they ought to appreciate it. I 
wish I had one of those good novels 
of theirs to read right now." 

G22 I 



Vendetta. By Marie Corelli 36 Arrow 

Verdant Green, Mr., The Adventures of. By Cuthbert 

Bede, B. A 34 Medal 

Vestibule JL ruiL(ca Mystery, The. By Marline Maniy JT xvi :::net 

Vice Versa. By F. Anstey •. v^j Arrow 

Vicomte de Brageionne, Tlie. By Alexander Dumas .... .vnow 

Victoria, ^jueen and Jtlmpiess. By A. D. Hall b ^. .jiical 

Violet Lisle. By Bertna M. Clay / i.^ J:^agle 

Virgie's Inheritance. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon bS iilagle 

Virginia Heiress, The. By May Agnes i<'leming y Bagle 

Vivier, of Vivier, Bongmans & Co., Bankers. By Barclay 

North 94 Magnet 

Voyage to the Gold Coast, A. By Frank H. Converse 55 Medal 

Wall Street Haul, A. By Nicholas Carter 6 Magnet 

Want d by Two Clients. By Nicholas Carter 81 Magnet 

W^ar Reporter, The. By Warren Edwards 97 Eagle 

AVaF-ted Bnve, A. By Charles Garvice 21 Eagle 

Weavers and Weft, fly Miss M. E. Braddou 125 Arrow 

Wedded for an Ho'jr. By Emrna Garrison Jones SI Eagle 

Wedded Widow, A. By T. W. Hanshew 1.37 Eagle 

AVhat Is Christ to Me? and Other Sermons. By the late 

Rev. Dwight L. Moody 9 Alliance 

Wheeling for Fortune. By James Otis 20 Medal 

V\^hen London Bleeps. .From the Celebrated Play 

By Chas. Darrell 105 Eagle 

When Jeremiah Prophesied. By Alice Kingsbury Cooley 16 Alliance 

Vv'hite Company. The. By A. Conan Doyle 81 Arrow 

Vv'hite King of Africa, The. Bv William Murray Graydon..l6 Medal 

Wh.lt'^^ Souadron. The. By T. C. Harbaugh. 120 Eagle 

Who Wins ? By May Agnes Fleming 157 Eagle 

Whose Was the Crime? By Gertrude Warden 132 Eagle 

Wh(^se Av^ife Is She? By Annie Lisle 110 Eagle 

W^idowed Bride, A. IBy Lucy Randall Comfort 86 Eagle 

W^idow Lerouge, The. By Emile Gaboriau 15 Magnet 

Wilful W^innie. By Harriet Sherburne 72 Eagle 

Will She Win? By Emma Garrison Jones 148 Eagle 

Witch Hazel. By Mrs. Georgie Sheldon 66 Eagle 

With Boer and Britisher in the Transvaal. By Wm. Mur- 
ray Graydon 39 Medal 

Wolves of the N?^vv. By Fns'gn Clarke Fitch. U. S. N..13 Columbia 

Woman Against Woman. By Effie Adelaide Rowlands 52 Eagle 

V^oman's Hand. A. Bv Nirholns Carter 16 Magnet 

Won at West Point. Bv Lieutenant Lionel Lounsburry..21 Medal 

Won by the Sword. By J. Perkms Tracv 65 Eagle 

Won by Waiting. Bv Frina L^^all T 45 Arrow 

W^orkingman Detective, The. By Donald J. McKenzie...llO Magnet 

V'orr- wood. By Marie Cor^ili 47 Arrow 

Worth Winniner. Bv Mrs. Fmiiv T.oveff Campron 52 Arrow 

Woiijfl Christ Belong to a Labor TTrion? Bv Rev. Cort- 
land Myers. Pastor of the Brooklyn Baptist Temple.. 8 Alliance 
Wreck of the South Pole, The. By Charles Curtz Hahn..22 Columbia 

Yale Man. A. Bv Robert Le*^ Tvler 45 Fagle 

Yankee Champion. The. Bv Svlvanus Cobb, Jr 78 Eagle 

Yankoe L^frntp-rpr^f ryy^^ t>^. j^^.,.,^1^^^ W^Hs 1 Columbia 

Young Acrobat, The. By Horatio Alger, Jr 42 Med a J 

Youncr Colonists. The. A Storv of Life and War in Africa. 

By a A. Plentv " 14 Medal 

Young Mistley. By Henry Seton Merrlman , 95 Arrow 



31 



HISTORIML SERIES 



A monthly publication devoted to good literature. By 

subscription, $i.oo per year. Nov., 1899. Ml) 1 fi 

Entered as second-class matter at New York Post-office. **'-'• iv 



*'^yi tncnih'^ ^ood reading J^or 10 cent.s* 

Some Contribxjtors to 

AINSLEE'S 
MAGAZINE 



W ¥ V Wu Ting Fe.ng 

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Prof. John Fryer 

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Brig.-Gen. Charles King 

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AND MANY OTHERS 



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